Choice Words by Freedom to Choose Schools

Freedom To Choose Schools
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Choice Words is the official podcast of Freedom to Choose Schools. Hosted by executive director Jay Artis-Wright, each episode elevates the voices of the radical middle nonpartisan thinkers, educators, and families who believe in putting parents first. From homeschooling and micro-schools to charter and cyber schools, Choice Words dives deep into how leaders and families of color are navigating school choice and driving innovation. This show challenges the myth that parents and people of color lack knowledge about education, highlighting their stories, expertise, and power to drive change.

  1. 3d ago

    Major Crises, Small Solutions: Rethinking the Politics of Education.

    Can Democrats win back parents on education? Former Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, CEO of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), says it starts with fighting for families instead of systems. Host Jay Artis-Wright sits down with Jorge to unpack the difference between policy and politics in education, and why so many Democratic lawmakers now avoid K-12 altogether. Jorge shares what he learned trying to transform Providence's public schools as a two-term mayor, why the problems in struggling districts are structural rather than a lack of effort, and why he defines public education as a goal (an educated public), not a fixed set of institutions. They dig into the party's "purity tests," the political power of teachers unions, and the growing number of "choice-curious" Democrats, from caucus chairs to gubernatorial candidates, quietly reaching out for new ideas. Jorge makes the case for letting money follow the child through education savings accounts, micro-schools, and unbundled learning, and lays out what candidates heading into 2028 need to show voters: that they will fight for working families. Topics include: Democrats and school choice, education reform, charter schools, education savings accounts (ESAs), teachers unions and politics, NAEP scores, micro-schools, the 2028 election, and the future of public education. Learn more about DFER at dfer.org. Join the movement at chooseschools.org. #FightToChoose

  2. Sep 17

    The School Where Kindergartners Run Their Own Businesses | Dr. Wayne Jones

    Can a kindergartner learn to run a business? At Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship in Pittsburgh, the answer is yes. In this episode of Choice Words, host Jay sits down with Dr. Wayne Jones, CEO of Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship, the only entrepreneurship-focused public charter school in Pennsylvania. Dr. Jones shares how a small group of parents turned a need for better public school options into a K–8 school of over 560 students, where kids don't just learn about business, they run their own ventures, elect their own government, and manage a real student-led economy through the school's signature "Micro Society" program. Dr. Jones also opens up about his own path, from growing up in Pittsburgh public housing, to a scholarship at a private boarding school, to walking away from a job with the Pittsburgh Penguins to lead a school for the lowest salary offer he received. He explains why representation in school leadership matters, how entrepreneurship prepares kids for college, trade careers, or launching their own business, and why he believes every student deserves to see themselves as limitless. In this episode: How Penn Hills Charter School was founded — and grew to 560+ students What entrepreneurship education looks like for a kindergartner Inside the "Micro Society": student-run businesses, governments, and a real classroom economy Why nearly 90% of the student body is Black, and why that's by design Preparing kids for three paths: entrepreneurship, college, or workforce readiness Dr. Jones's own journey from public housing to school leadership Connect with Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship: 🌐 phcharter.org 📱 Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn: Penn Hills Charter School Freedom to Choose Schools is on a mission to expand educational freedom for every family. New episodes of Choice Words drop every other week — subscribe so you never miss a conversation with the leaders reshaping education.

  3. Sep 3

    Activated Parents, Engaged Detroit: Bernita Bradley's Choice Words

    What happens when a school loses your child, even for 15 minutes? For Bernita Bradley, it was the beginning of a decade-long journey from involved parent to full-time advocate, community organizer, and now school founder. In this episode, host Jay sits down with Bernita, a McLeod Society Fellow, founder of Engage Detroit, and longtime Detroit-based education advocate to talk about what she calls "activated parenting": the shift from showing up to actually understanding and shaping what happens inside your child's school. Bernita shares the story that changed everything, why she believes parents are experts too, not just stakeholders to be managed, and how Engage Detroit grew from 12 families to over 240, all built on a model of parents leading alongside, not behind, educators. They talk about the real difference between being an involved parent and an engaged one, what "practicing choice" means when it's rooted in protecting your child, and why Bernita believes the next generation deserves adults willing to get it right, starting now. This is a conversation about power, partnership, and what's possible when parents refuse to check out.

  4. Aug 13

    From Katrina to BAEO: Kenneth Campbell on Building Black Leadership in School Choice

    Jay sits down in New Orleans with Kenneth Campbell — education leader, FCS board member, and a founding force behind the DC and Louisiana charter school movements — for a wide-ranging conversation on the roots and future of school choice. Ken shares how he helped rebuild schools in post-Katrina New Orleans, co-founded the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), and spent decades fighting for parents' right to choose. They dig into why school choice sparks backlash ("it's always about money, power, and control"), the urgent need for more Black men in classrooms, and why intergenerational leadership is critical to sustaining this movement. This episode centers a hard truth: representation changes outcomes — and the work isn't finished. 🎙️ Choice Words is brought to you by Freedom to Choose Schools.

  5. Jul 30

    Turning the Tassel: Agency’s New Study Uncovers What Happens After Graduation

    What actually happens to kids after they graduate? Not their GPA, not their test scores — do they get the credential, land the job, earn the living, build the life? This week, host Jay sits down in New Orleans with Debbie Veney, founder and CEO of Agency, to dig into Turning the Tassel — a 5,000-person study, conducted with the Harris Poll, tracking a full decade of high school graduates (and, as it turns out, the entire first graduating generation of Gen Z). The findings are hard to argue with: charter school grads are "crushing it" on nearly every life indicator, earning about $22,000 more a year on average — and for Black, Latino, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Native American graduates, that gap jumps to roughly $55,000. As Debbie puts it, "that's a whole 'nother job." Jay and Debbie get into why the data drew zero pushback, how charter schools have effectively closed the degree attainment gap, and why it's time to stop measuring our kids' success by a report card and start asking the right questions. It's a conversation about outcomes, equity, and putting real numbers behind what families already know. Read the full report at agencyworks.org/research and tune into Choice Words, episodes released bi-weekly.

  6. Jul 16

    The Real New Orleans Story: School Choice Before It Had a Name

    Long before "school choice" became a national buzzword, Black families in New Orleans were already choosing. Through navigating segregation, Jim Crow, and a broken system to find the best path for their kids. On this episode of Choice Words, host Jay sits down in New Orleans with Patrick Dobard the former superintendent of the Recovery School District and a New Orleans native whose own family history stretches back to the earliest days of the city's education reform movement. Patrick shares the story you rarely hear: growing up between Clark High School and Saint Augustine, the Black educators who shaped him, and how Hurricane Katrina reshaped a city already navigating choice for generations. He and Jay dig into the false idea that school choice is an either/or and why Patrick describes New Orleans' education landscape as a "gumbo" of options, not a battle between camps. This is a conversation about history, family, culturally relevant leadership, and what it really means to own your education, your community, and your future. Brought to you by Freedom to Choose Schools. Subscribe for new episodes of Choice Words twice a month.

  7. Jul 2

    Live From New Orleans — Ahmed White on Belonging, Foster Care & Building The Rock Academy

    Jay Artis-Wright hits the road. Season 3 kicks off live and in person in New Orleans with Ahmed White, founder of The Rock Academy in Nashville. Ahmed didn't set out to be an educator — he set out to be a lawyer. Instead, he built a high school designed with opportunity youth instead of for them, based on what students themselves said they needed: belonging, flexibility, and relevance. He's also adopted and raised four Black sons out of the foster care system, and he opens up about the emotional weight — and the joy — of parenting kids the system had already counted out. 🎧 Follow Choice Words for what's next. 📲 @myrockacademy | 🔗 chooseschools.org | #FightToChoose

  8. Jun 18

    Culture, Choice & Second Chances; Reaching Opportunity Youth

    Five million young people across the country — disproportionately Black and Latino — have disconnected from school and the workforce. They're called "opportunity youth," and the story isn't that they gave up on their education. It's that the system gave up on them. In this episode, host Jay Artis-Wright sits down with Nestor Esparza Magana, executive director of Student Alternatives Program, Inc. (SAPI), the nonprofit partnered with Triumph charter high schools in San Antonio, serving at-risk youth across 11 Texas campuses. Nestor breaks down how culture, creativity, and authentic Latino leadership rebuild schooling around young people's real lives — not the other way around. Together they get into why youth advocacy is important, why representation you can't fake changes everything for students, and why the power of choice belongs to every parent and family. 🎙️ Plus, Nestor's Choice Words — the question we ask every guest. New episodes of Choice Words drop twice a month. Follow, rate, and share. #FightToChoose | chooseschools.org

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About

Choice Words is the official podcast of Freedom to Choose Schools. Hosted by executive director Jay Artis-Wright, each episode elevates the voices of the radical middle nonpartisan thinkers, educators, and families who believe in putting parents first. From homeschooling and micro-schools to charter and cyber schools, Choice Words dives deep into how leaders and families of color are navigating school choice and driving innovation. This show challenges the myth that parents and people of color lack knowledge about education, highlighting their stories, expertise, and power to drive change.

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