We explore how Education Savings Accounts move accountability to families, why universal eligibility builds durable coalitions, and what it takes to grow small pilots into statewide “oaks” that actually meet demand. Matt Ladner shares lessons from Arizona, Texas, Florida, and West Virginia on funding design, flexibility, and political strategy.

• ESA as flexible, multi‑use accounts beyond vouchers
• Texas milestone and scale context for a “big acorn”
• Shift from means‑tested to universal eligibility
• Coalition building across income and zip codes
• Special needs origins of choice and lived accountability
• Bullying as top driver for switching schools
• Demand‑driven design: formula funding, no lotteries
• Funding parity and the West Virginia shortfall lesson
• Plural supply: private, public courses, microschools, tutors
• Teacher autonomy and co‑creation with families
• Legal headwinds and why courts often uphold programs
• Optimistic outlook for a more vibrant, plural system

About our guest
Matt Ladner has been writing about education policy for decades and he has been instrumental in the creation of school choice policies all over the country. He blogs at Next Steps and he is a Senior Advisor at Heritage’s Center for Education Policy. Previously, Matt held roles with the Arizona Charter Schools Association, EdChoice, and ReimaginED. Ladner is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Houston.

Connect with Matt
The Heritage Foundation
Next Steps Blog
Twitter

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About the podcast
The KindlED Podcast explores the science of nurturing children's potential and creating empowering learning environments.

Powered by Prenda Microschools, each episode offers actionable insights to help you ignite your child's love of learning. We'll dive into evidence-based tools and techniques that kindle young learners' curiosity, motivation, and well-being.

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We're all ears! If you have a question or topic you'd love our hosts to tackle, please send it to [email protected]. Let's dive into the conversation together!

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