How big is your state government? Florida ranks last in the U.S. for full-time state government employees per 100K population — just 706 in 2024. Massachusetts had nearly double that with 1,401 per 100K. Explore the numbers: https://loom.ly/TDrajc0 #facts #stategovernmentemployees
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
April 15, 2026
Discovery Institute's Dr. Keri Ingraham on School Choice & Edu Federalism
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of the University of Arkansas and American Federation for Children’s Walter Blanks speak with Dr. Keri Ingraham, Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute. Dr. Ingraham reflects on her academic and...
April 8, 2026
DFI's Jim Blew & Lynch's Katie Everett on Fed. Ed. Tax Credit in Blue States
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of the University of Arkansas and Center for Strong Public Schools’ Alisha Searcy speak with Jim Blew, founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute, and Katie Everett, executive director of...
April 3, 2026
Gijs van Hensbergen on Antoni Gaudí & the Sagrada Família
In this week’s special Easter episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of the University of Arkansas and Center for Strong Public Schools’ Alisha Searcy speak with Dutch art historian Gijs van Hensbergen, author of Gaudí: A Biography and The Sagrada Familia:...
April 1, 2026
Aaron Lansky on the Yiddish Book Center & Preserving Jewish Culture
In this Passover episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Eos Foundation’s Andrea Silbert speak with Aaron Lansky, founder of the Yiddish Book Center and author of Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of...
March 25, 2026
U-MI's Sarah Cohodes on Charter Public Schools & Paths to College Success
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Ark Prof. Albert Cheng and Center for Strong Public Schools’ Alisha Searcy speak with Sarah Cohodes, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, about her extensive research on charter public...
March 18, 2026
Willard Sterne Randall on Alexander Hamilton & Founding Era Political-Economy
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Ark Prof. Albert Cheng and former MN Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson speak with Prof. Willard Sterne Randall, American historian and author of Alexander Hamilton: A Life and The Founders’ Fortunes: How Money...
March 11, 2026
FL State's James Shuls & Cato's Neal McCluskey on History of U.S. School Choice
In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Ark Prof. Albert Cheng and Center for Strong Public Schools’ Alisha Searcy speak with with Neal McCluskey and James Shuls, co-editors of Fighting for the Freedom to Learn: Examining the Nation’s Centuries-Old School...
March 4, 2026
Roxana Robinson on Georgia O'Keeffe, Mother of American Modernist Painting
In celebration of Women’s History Month, this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Ark Prof. Albert Cheng and MassPotential’s Mary Tamer speak with Roxana Robinson to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe, the pioneering artist often called the...
February 26, 2026
Pulitzer Winner Gordon Wood on Benjamin Franklin & American Revolution 250
In this special American Revolution 250 episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Ark Prof. Albert Cheng and Kelley Brown, Massachusetts state champion U.S. history and civics teacher, sit down with renowned Brown University historian Gordon Wood to explore the life and legacy...
February 25, 2026
Step Up for Students' Ron Matus on Florida School Choice
In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Ark Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Ron Matus, Director of Research and Special Projects at Step Up For Students in Florida and former longtime...
Fact of the day
