Freedom to Learn

The new Education Freedom Tax Credit could make a wide array of educational options attainable for millions of students next year. Alan Levine, CEO of the Jewish Education Access Fund, joins the podcast to explain how the tax credit offers a once-in-a-generation chance to expand access to schools that reflect families' values. Alan explains what donors and families need to know about pledges, donations, and state opt-ins before the credit takes effect on January 1, 2027.

Jewish Education Access Fund: https://www.access-fund.org/

Federal Scholarship Tax Credit temporary rules: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/02/2026-20264/federal-scholarship-tax-credit

Federal Scholarship Tax Credit proposed rules: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/02/2026-20277/federal-scholarship-tax-credit

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The Education Freedom Tax Credit is poised to expand opportunities for students nationwide, but what has to happen before it launches on January 1, 2027? Ashling Preston of the American Federation for Children joins Freedom to Learn to identify the steps state leaders and scholarship-granting organizations need to take now. She also explains how taxpayers can prepare to fund scholarships for eligible students in participating states. With implementation around the corner, the opportunity is enormous, the excuses are running out, and the push for all 50 states to opt in is on.

https://federalscholarships.com/

Federal Scholarship Tax Credit temporary rules: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/02/2026-20264/federal-scholarship-tax-credit

Federal Scholarship Tax Credit proposed rules: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/02/2026-20277/federal-scholarship-tax-credit

New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s opt-in statement: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-kathy-hochul-180

Regulations.gov Federal Scholarship Tax Credit comment portal: https://www.regulations.gov/document/IRS-2026-1354-0001

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What if families in your state could unlock thousands of dollars for their children's education thanks to a new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, but your state hasn't opted in yet? Averel Meden of the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Coalition joins the podcast to explain the Treasury Department’s newly released rules governing the tax credit for donations to scholarship granting organizations, how to talk to state leaders, and key dates leading to the 2027 tax credit implementation. Averel explains how this $1,700 federal tax credit could generate scholarships that benefit 96% of students nationwide. She also encourages listeners to engage in the 60-day comment period for the proposed rules and build public awareness about the EFTC through friends, families, schools, and faith communities.

Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Coalition: https://fedscholarshiptaxcredit.org/

The Trump Administration’s announcement of the proposed tax credit rules: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0641

 Proposed Regulations: Federal Scholarship Tax Credit: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/02/2026-20277/federal-scholarship-tax-credit

Temporary Regulations: Federal Scholarship Tax Credit: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/02/2026-20264/federal-scholarship-tax-credit

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Freedom to Learn is a production of the Defense of Freedom Institute. You can learn more about DFI at DFIPolicy.org.

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When Arkansas’s Education Freedom Accounts went universal last year, enrollment soared by 212% to 44,524 students. Dr. Patrick Wolf joins the podcast to discuss who’s participating, why families choose the program, and how the funds are used. Dr. Wolf’s new report on the program also examines rural access to education options, participation among students with disabilities, program accountability, and early academic achievement results.

Arkansas Education Freedom Accounts: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/offices/office-of-school-choice-and-parent-empowerment/education-freedom-accounts

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The new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit could reshape the K-12 education landscape faster than most people realize. American Federation for Children senior fellow Patrick Graff’s new research reveals who can fund and who can receive tax credit-funded scholarships. Ginny Gentles and Patrick discuss how the new federal tax credit works, the 52 million students who could qualify for tax credited-funded scholarships, the 121 million taxpayers who are eligible to claim the tax credit and fund scholarships, and why state participation will determine which families benefit. They also explore the program’s potential to generate billions in new K-12 education funding.

Who Can Receive a Scholarship? The Eligible K-12 Student Population Under the New Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC): https://www.federationforchildren.org/new-estimates-project-that-52-million-k-12-students-eligible-for-the-education-freedom-tax-credit-eftc/

Who Can Fund a Scholarship? Updated Donor Estimates under the New Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC): https://www.federationforchildren.org/who-can-fund-a-scholarship-under-the-eftc/

Federal School Choice Could Be Huge: Possibly many billions in scholarships, even with modest donor uptake, The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/federal-school-choice-tax-credit-donations-patrick-graff-report-3044cba3

EFTC participating states for 2027: https://www.irs.gov/government-entities/federal-state-local-governments/federal-scholarship-tax-credit-fstc

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Texas families are demanding more education options and expecting more of the education system. Ginny Gentles talks with Mandy Drogin, host of the Parent Empowerment podcast, about the 120,000 students benefiting from Texas’s education freedom accounts this year, the huge demand from families of students with special needs, and the growing marketplace of schools, tutoring, therapies, curriculum, and more. Mandy also makes the case for classical education and the Great Books, exposes what she calls the “education cartel,” and previews her upcoming book, Classroom Comeback: How Americans Can Make Education Great Again.

Texas Education Freedom Accounts: https://educationfreedom.texas.gov/

Classroom Comeback: How Americans Can Make Education Great Again: https://www.encounterbooks.com/books/classroom-comeback/?srsltid=AfmBOor8PeL5Gbm7C9vRBz7Og_qFgna3E71qM9jN5LCA5TzDxMblsWcN

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Freedom to Learn is a production of the Defense of Freedom Institute. You can learn more about DFI at DFIPolicy.org.

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This week on Freedom to Learn, DFI Guest Host Angela Morabito is joined by Daniel Buck, American Enterprise Institute Research Fellow and Director of the Conservative Education Reform Network (CERN). Daniel breaks down the student behavior crisis facing America’s K–12 classrooms, explaining how persistent low-level disruptions contribute to teacher burnout. He also reveals the progressive ideological imbalance facing teacher preparation programs today and what can be done to fix it, defends the importance of standardized testing, and shares how schools can restore the parent-teacher divide.

Pedagogy of the Progressives: A Review of Syllabi from Graduate Schools of Education, Sept. 9, 2026, by Daniel Buck: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/pedagogy-of-the-progressives-a-review-of-syllabi-from-graduate-schools-of-education/

Colleges Train Future Teachers to Push Woke Agenda, Aug. 11, 2026, by Angela Morabito: https://www.realcleareducation.com/2026/08/10/colleges_train_future_teachers_to_push_woke_agenda_1199374.html

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Freedom to Learn is a production of the Defense of Freedom Institute. You can learn more about DFI at DFIPolicy.org.

If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a thumbs up, share it, and subscribe for more insights into education law and policy. Thank you for your support!

We’re back with another episode of Freedom to Learn, with DFI’s Angela Morabito filling in for Host Ginny Gentles. This week, U.S. Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent joins the podcast to give an inside look on how the The Department of Education is bringing transparency to higher education’s foreign financial ties, partnering with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to better manage student loans, dismantling the accreditation monopoly by encouraging competition and ending administrative bloat, and the Education Department’s efforts to implement Workforce Pell to expand alternative pathways to education outside of the traditional 4-year college degree.

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This week on Freedom to Learn, we’re re-releasing our conversation with Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on the Florida teachers union's lawsuit targeting the state's education freedom programs and why he believes it is destined to fail. Governor Bush reflects on the bold reforms that transformed Florida from one of the nation's lowest-performing education systems into a national leader in student achievement and parental choice. He also makes the case for returning more authority from Washington to the states, tackles persistent myths about school choice and accountability, and shares the philosophy that guided his work for the last three decades: "Success is never final. Reform is never complete."

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Intersectionality has quietly become the unseen driver behind today’s divisive education policies, anti-American sentiments, and campus radicalization. This week on Freedom to Learn, we are re-releasing our episode featuring William A. Jacobson, Cornell Law School professor and founder of the Legal Insurrection Foundation. He sounds the alarm on this dangerous ideological “mother’s milk” that feeds critical race theory, DEI, and even some acts of domestic extremism and describes how teachers unions and colleges of education pushed intersectionality into K-12 classrooms. He also provides concrete actions policymakers should take to confront intersectionality directly, including executive orders and guidance, federal funding oversight, and congressional hearings.

Intersectionality: The Rise of a Dangerous Anti-American Ideology and How to Stop It: https://dfipolicy.org/report-intersectionality/

The Root Cause: DEI Won't Disappear Until This Is Stopped: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4611193/dei-wont-disappear-until-intesectionality-is-stopped/

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Freedom to Learn is a production of the Defense of Freedom Institute. You can learn more about DFI at DFIPolicy.org.

If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a thumbs up, share it, and subscribe for more insights into education law and policy. Thank you for your support!