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Across the U.S., students are heading back to school. But here’s the reality: despite record levels of public education funding, student performance is flat—or more likely declining—in many places.
Nearly twenty states have adopted near-universal Education Savings Accounts, giving families more freedom. Yet in many others, progress lags. Even where legislation has recently passed, like in Texas, the programs often fall short of true, universal choice in terms of all students, all options, and all dollars. The time for a school choice revolution is now! In this episode of This Week’s Economy, I break down why education needs choice, competition, and innovation—and how those principles can transform not just the lives of individual students, but families, communities, and the future of our nation. You can catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify. Visit: VanceGinn.com Subscribe: VanceGinn.Substack.com
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School Choice Revolution Improves U.S. Education W/ Robert Enlow | Let People Prosper Show Ep. 1557/3/2025 What if education dollars followed students, not systems?
That’s the idea Milton Friedman planted decades ago, and it’s the one powering the school choice revolution sweeping America today. In this week’s Let People Prosper Show, I talk with Robert Enlow, President and CEO of EdChoice, to discuss how the movement is finally turning Friedman’s vision into reality. Robert brings deep experience and a clear-eyed view of what’s working—and what still needs fixing. We discuss Universal Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), state-level successes such as Arizona’s, the dangers of federal overreach, and the rapid growth of innovation in education across the country. If you care about parental rights, accountability, or economic freedom, this one’s for you. For more insights, visit vanceginn.com. You can also get even greater value by subscribing to my Substack newsletter at vanceginn.substack.com. (0:00) – Introduction to Education and School Choice (2:58) – Robert’s Journey and Why Education Reform Matters (6:59) – Milton Friedman’s Impact on Modern School Choice (10:34) – The Evolution of EdChoice and the Movement’s Milestones (16:44) – School Choice in the States: Who’s Leading? (22:13) – What Arizona Gets Right (25:02) – Fixing How We Fund Education (30:21) – What Teachers Really Think About School Choice (35:36) – Federal Involvement: Necessary or a Threat? (40:31) – Robert Enlow’s Vision for the Future of Education Which States Are Winning on Spending, Taxes, and School Choice? | This Week's Economy Ep. 1176/23/2025 What’s driving state-level prosperity—or stagnation?
While Washington obsesses over headlines and dysfunction, the real policy battles shaping Americans’ lives are happening in state capitals. From tax cuts and spending reforms to school choice and regulatory rollbacks, we’re seeing a tale of two paths: one that embraces economic freedom and another that doubles down on top-down control. In this episode of This Week’s Economy, I talk with Patrick Gleason, Vice President of State Affairs at Americans for Tax Reform and regular contributor to Forbes, about the most important trends in state policy. We get into who’s doing it right, who’s doing it wrong, and how to push back against the growing threats of government overreach. You can catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify. Visit: VanceGinn.com Subscribe: VanceGinn.Substack.com  Originally posted on X. Big day in Texas: Governor Abbott finally signed the state’s first school choice law on Saturday. ESAs will begin in the 2026–27 school year. For years, I’ve fought for education freedom—not just as an economist, but as someone who lived it. I started in a small private school from kindergarten through second grade, where my mom worked just to afford tuition. I then attended government schools in South Houston and Weatherford for grades 3–6, before finishing grades 7–12 as a homeschooler. After a government-run junior college, I earned my bachelor’s and PhD at Texas Tech University, a government school. That diverse education experience opened doors for me, and that's why I believe every Texas family deserves the same freedom to choose what works best for their children. Watching the signing of SB 2 was personal, but it was also bittersweet. Yes, Texas finally passed school choice, but it’s not truly universal, not even close.  The ESA program is capped at 100,000 students—just 1.5% of Texas’ 6.3 million school-aged kids. Of those, only a strictly limited number of students from households earning above 500% of the federal poverty level—roughly $160,000 for a family of four—can even qualify.
That’s bad policy and worse economics. When higher-income families are blocked from participating, the program loses political support, economic scale, and its ability to build momentum. Every student, regardless of income, deserves the opportunity to learn better. Each taxpayer deserves the efficiency and innovation a competitive education system can deliver. Meanwhile, for every $1 spent on ESAs, up to $8 in new taxpayer money will go to the government-run school system. That’s hardly competition—it’s a rigged market. Texas spends more than $100 billion annually on the monopoly government school system. A small, capped ESA program won’t bring the accountability or market pressure needed to improve outcomes across the board. Even worse, students using ESAs receive $10,000 or less yearly, while the average government school student is subsidized at more than $18,000. If ESAs were available to every student in Texas, the cost could be closer to $12,000 per child, still significantly lower than the status quo. So when critics claim ESAs “subsidize the rich,” they’ve got it backwards. The current system gives a blanket $18,000 subsidy to high-income families who keep their kids in public schools. School choice simply levels the playing field—and at a discount. Texas lawmakers got part of the policy right this session. However, the dual-funding structure, ESA cap, and income restrictions show how far we must go. The correct answer is clear: end the two-pot system and adopt a single-pot funding model where every dollar follows every student, regardless of income or schooling type. That shift could save over $20 billion annually, reduce bureaucracy, and deliver the freedom and efficiency Texans deserve. School choice isn’t about rationing opportunity—it’s about restoring it. The best thing we can do now is expand this program to all families, fully fund it, and give every Texas child a chance at a better future. Texas lawmakers just passed three major bills: a record-breaking $337B budget, $8B more to public schools, and $1B for a limited school choice program—but property taxes are still rising, and only 1.5% of students benefit from ESAs. Meanwhile, federal spending remains sky-high, tariffs are already costing American jobs, and new data regulations threaten privacy. I break it all down in this week’s episode.
Topics Covered: The truth about Texas’s so-called $51B in tax relief Why limited school choice could backfire How Trump’s tariffs and Powell’s Fed create uncertainty Why CFPB’s data grab is government overreach What parents, not politicians, need in tech regulation Watch now and subscribe for weekly updates on how we can let people prosper. Visit: VanceGinn.com. Subscribe: VanceGinn.Substack.com. Listen on: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify |
Vance Ginn, Ph.D.
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