Show-me Institute Podcast

Susan Pendergrass, James Shuls, and Avery Frank debunk common myths about open enrollment policies, addressing concerns about their impact on rural schools, overcrowding, and financial stability. They break down the facts, challenge misconceptions, and explain how expanding school choice can benefit families while strengthening Missouri’s education system. Timestamps: 00:00 Understanding Open Enrollment in Missouri 09:51 Common Myths About Open Enrollment 19:59 The Impact of Open Enrollment on Academic Performance 30:07 Legislative Landscape and Future of Open Enrollment Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss: the Missouri Office of Government Efficiency (MOGE) and its impact on state governance, legislative approaches in the House and Senate, the role of outside experts in identifying inefficiencies, and the importance of accountability through timelines. They also cover educational policies like open enrollment, challenges with smartphone use in schools, COVID-era municipal water policies, source of income laws, and the ongoing debate over eliminating the state income tax. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Patrick Tuohey, senior fellow at the Show-Me Institute, about the intersection of education reform and economic development. They discuss the importance of school choice, its impact on property values and community growth, and how current education systems often trap families in underperforming districts. Tuohey advocates for open enrollment policies that empower parents to choose schools that best meet their children's needs. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Education Reform and Economic Development 03:06 The Role of School Choice in Economic Growth 06:02 Challenges in Urban Education Systems 09:02 The Impact of School Quality on Property Values 12:08 The Case for Open Enrollment and School Choice 14:49 Comparative Analysis of State Education Policies 18:02 The Future of Education in Missouri 21:01 Conclusion: Empowering Parents and Students Read more from Patrick Tuohey on this issue here: https://bit.ly/4jWeyxG Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Nat Malkus, senior fellow and deputy director of education policy at AEI, about the troubling 2024 NAEP results. They discuss declining reading scores, stagnant math performance, the rise in students performing Below Basic, criticisms of NAEP, and more. Timestamps: 00:00 Understanding NAEP: A Vital Educational Metric 1:54 Post-Pandemic Performance: A Troubling Reality 5:41 The Role of State Education Systems 7:45 Accountability and Its Impact on Education 12:19 The Influence of School Choice on Test Scores 18:40 The Honesty Gap: NAEP vs. State Accountability 24:44 Looking Ahead: Future Scores and Educational Strategies Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Chester (Checker) Finn, Distinguished Senior Fellow and President Emeritus at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, about the recent federal executive order "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling". They discuss the balance between patriotic education and federal overreach, the limits on Washington’s role in curriculum, the latest NAEP scores, and more. 03:00 The Current State of American Education 06:11 Federal Role in Education: Weaponization vs. Minimization 08:56 Reading Proficiency Crisis Among Students 11:57 Impact of Disbanding the Department of Education 15:03 The Need for Stronger Accountability in Education 17:59 School Choice and Funding Challenges 21:03 Optimism and Pessimism in Education's Future 24:03 Addressing Chronic Absenteeism and Disconnected Youth Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

In December 2024, in Springfield, Missouri, the Show-Me Institute and Show-Me Opportunity hosted an event featuring Dr. Aaron Hedlund, Chief Economist at the Show-Me Institute, and Elijah Haahr, former Missouri Speaker of the House and host of The Elijah Haahr Show on KWTO. The discussion focused on the 2025 economic outlook for Missouri and the U.S., exploring issues such as unsustainable government spending, the growing national debt, and the Federal Reserve's role in shaping inflation, housing, and labor markets. Today's episode is a recording of that event. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with John Ketcham, legal policy fellow and director of cities at the Manhattan Institute, about his Model Legislation to Restrict Smartphone Use in K–12 Public Schools. They discuss the growing concerns over smartphone use in schools, its documented negative impacts on students’ academic performance and social development, how the proposed legislation aims to create a more focused educational environment, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass, Elias Tsapelas, and David Stokes join Zach Lawhorn to discuss the start of the 2025 Missouri legislative session. They cover budgetary reform, the need for a Missouri Taxpayer Bill of Rights, the creation of a recession preparedness fund, open enrollment policies, statewide school choice, improvements to Missouri’s school report cards, tax reform, telemedicine, healthcare regulations, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Bryan C. McCannon, Dean of the School of Business and Economics and Robert S. Eckley Endowed Professor of Economics at Illinois Wesleyan University, and data analyst with Sicuro Data Analytics, LLC. They discuss a new report written for the Show-Me Institute titled "Crime Trends and Criminal Justice Policies in Missouri’s Largest Cities". The report examines the rise in violent crime and homicides in Missouri since 2015. Bryan breaks down how the report compares Missouri’s crime trends with other similar cities, explains how certain policies may have contributed to the increase, highlights some issues with crime data, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Virginia (Ginny) Gentles, director of the Education Freedom and Parental Rights Initiative at the Defense of Freedom Institute, about the future of the Department of Education given recent remarks from the incoming administration about abolishing the department. They discuss the implications for American education policy, explore the potential impact on parental rights and education freedom, and more. Ginny, a long-time school choice advocate and host of the Freedom to Learn Podcast, brings a wealth of experience from her time at the U.S. Department of Education under President George W. Bush, the Florida Department of Education, and as a legislative analyst on Capitol Hill. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

James Shuls, David Stokes, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss what the latest test scores reveal about Missouri schools, the debate over a four-day school week as a budget solution, Town and Country’s controversial property tax increase, opposition to a comprehensive plan in Cole Camp, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Download the full 2025 Blueprint here: https://bit.ly/4iiQdBr In this episode, Susan Pendergrass, James Shuls, Elias Tsapelas, Aaron Hedlund, David Stokes, Patrick Tuohey, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss The 2025 Blueprint: Moving Missouri Forward. They discuss topics like statewide school choice, income tax reform, local government transparency, Missouri's Taxpayer Bill of Rights, nuclear energy policy, and more. About The 2025 Blueprint: The Show-Me Institute’s mission is to advance liberty with individual responsibility by promoting market solutions for Missouri public policy. Our vision is for Missouri to be a place where entrepreneurs can pursue their dreams, parents are free to direct the education and upbringing of their children, and a growing economy provides opportunities for all. Critical to achieving this vision is a state government that understands the value of freedom in the lives and future of our people. The 2025 Blueprint: Moving Missouri Forward explores 17 policy areas in

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Jude Schwalbach, policy analyst at the Reason Foundation, about his report Public Schools Without Boundaries: 2024. They discuss how open enrollment policies are reshaping K–12 education by allowing students to attend public schools outside of their assigned districts, examine why Missouri ranks poorly in supporting open enrollment, highlighting significant areas for improvement in the state, and more. Read Jude's report here: https://reason.org/open-enrollment/2024-public-schools-without-boundaries/ Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Read the full report here: https://www.primecenter.org/education-reports-database/homeschooling Susan Pendergrass speaks with Dr. Collin Hitt, Executive Director of the SLU PRiME Center and co-author of the paper Taking Attendance: Estimating Homeschooling Populations in States Without Official Homeschool Data—A Pilot Analysis in Missouri. Dr. Hitt shares insights into the challenges of estimating homeschooling populations in states like Missouri, which lack administrative data. He discusses innovative methods, including leveraging publicly available data and parent polling, to provide a clearer picture of homeschooling trends, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3UE4wXf Susan Pendergrass speaks with Martin F. Lueken, Director of the Fiscal Research and Education Center at EdChoice, about the findings of his report Fiscal Effects of School Choice: The Costs and Savings of Private School Choice Programs in America through FY 2022. Marty shares insights into how school choice programs have financially impacted state and local budgets across the United States. He explains the methods used to estimate both short- and long-run savings from these programs and discusses the disparities in per-student funding between public and choice program students. Lueken also addresses the funding context and long-term fiscal implications of choice programs for K–12 education systems, shedding light on common misconceptions and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Charles M. Silver, professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and David Hyman, professor at Georgetown Law, about their proposal for reforming Medicare by giving money directly to patients instead of providers. They explain how fraudulent practices like 'upcoding' are draining taxpayer dollars, driving up healthcare costs, and offer solutions to reduce fraud and improve efficiency. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Read David's full report here: https://bit.ly/3NuEfX6 In this episode, James V. Shuls speaks with David Stokes, Director of Municipal Policy at the Show-Me Institute, about his recent report, A Free-Market Guide for Missouri Municipalities. They discuss the benefits of applying free-market principles to local governance. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Jenny Clark, Founder & CEO of Love Your School, about the experience of navigating Arizona's Education Savings Account (ESA) Program from a parent's perspective. Jenny shares her personal journey as a mother of five in Arizona and how her family has utilized a variety of schooling options to fit each child's unique needs. She explains the flexibility ESA programs offer, the challenges parents face in accessing and managing the funds, how it empowers families to take control of their children's education, the growing popularity of school choice in Arizona, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss: Missouri’s Amendment 6, the Kirkwood sales tax vote, the state’s minimum wage proposition, the return of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

See Charles live on October 9 in St. Charles, MO Tickets and details: bit.ly/3BtZ2r3 Susan Pendergrass speaks with Charles C. W. Cooke, senior editor at National Review, about the growing trend of federal centralization and its threat to the U.S. federalist system. They discuss how the founders intended for states and local communities to have control over their governance, and why the push to consolidate power in Washington undermines American principles of liberty and self-governance. Charles explains why this centralization is antithetical to the country’s founding ideals, the consequences of this shift, and why it’s essential to reverse course. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity