Think you know which states depend most on Washington? Pioneer’s new Dependency Index may change your mind. Alaska ranks most dependent on federal funds, and Idaho ranks least. Check out where your state ranks here! https://loom.ly/6LMwO0c
Join Pioneer every Wednesday for insight and perspective on education, learning trends, school choice, and public policy. Our hosts and guests offer a mix of provocative commentary as they interview school leaders, innovators, bestselling authors, policymakers, and more.
Listeners can find The Learning Curve on iTunes (Apple Podcasts), Stitcher, Spotify, and the Choice Media mobile app. Also find it online at Ricochet and Pioneer Institute.
Latest Episodes
August 5, 2026
Florida's Julie Young on Virtual School Lessons for Age of AI
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Julie Young, a pioneering leader in virtual education, author of Say Yes!: How Virtual...
July 29, 2026
The Concord Review’s Bob Nasson on Students’ History Essays & Excellence
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Bob Nasson, Editor of The Concord Review and Executive Director of the National History...
July 22, 2026
U-Chicago Law's Alison LaCroix on the Origins of American Federalism
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson and Massachusetts state champion U.S. history and civics teacher Kelley Brown speak with Alison LaCroix, the Newton Reid Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, about the...
July 15, 2026
NYT-Bestseller Jane Leavy on Baseball Great Sandy Koufax
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Pioneer Senior Fellow Charlie Chieppo speak with NYT-bestselling author Jane Leavy about Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax. She traces his journey from a Jewish...
July 8, 2026
Johns Hopkins' Dr. David Steiner on Academic Quality, School Choice, & Accountability
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Center for Strong Public Schools’ Alisha Searcy and Dr. Helen Baxendale of Great Hearts Academies interview Dr. David Steiner, Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and former New York...
July 2, 2026
Pulitzer Winner Joseph Ellis on George Washington & American Revolution 250
As America marks the 250th anniversary of the Revolution, a key question still deserves our attention: how did a loose collection of North American colonies defeat the most powerful empire on earth? In this special episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof....
July 1, 2026
Stanford's Dr. Lerone Martin on the Young MLK
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of Strong Public Schools for Students and retired Milwaukee County Court Commissioner, Lindsey Draper, speak with Dr. Lerone Martin, Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at...
June 24, 2026
Florida's Doug Tuthill on School Choice
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Doug Tuthill, a longtime Florida K-12 education reform leader whose career in teaching and...
June 17, 2026
Dr. Suzanne Marrs on Eudora Welty, Southern Fiction & Imagination
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Dr. Suzanne Marrs, Professor Emerita of English at Millsaps College and acclaimed biographer of Eudora...
June 10, 2026
UK's Dr. Snezana Lawrence on the History of Mathematics
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Jake Tawney of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education speak with Dr. Snezana Lawrence, an independent scholar affiliated with Middlesex University London, about the...
Fact of the day
