The Learning Curve: Discovery Institute’s Dr. Keri Ingraham on School Choice & Edu Federalism

In this episode of The Learning Curve podcast, co-hosts Albert Chang and Walter Blanks welcome Dr. Keri Ingram, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and director of its American Center for Transforming Education, to discuss the transformative potential of school choice and education federalism in the United States. Ingram draws from her personal experience as a former K-12 educator and administrator, emphasizing how access to quality education—especially through private and alternative school models—can dramatically alter a child’s life trajectory. She critiques the current public education system as a bloated, union-controlled monopoly that fails students despite decades of rising spending, citing stagnant NAEP scores and declining enrollment. Ingram argues that meaningful school choice, competition, and parental empowerment are the real drivers of academic improvement, with Florida and other states serving as proof of concept. She also highlights the federal government’s outsized regulatory role despite contributing only 10% of K-12 funding, and praises recent moves to downsize the Department of Education and expand federal tax-credit scholarship programs. The conversation underscores the need to break testing monopolies, restore local control, and prioritize academic rigor over ideological agendas.