Oct 1, 2026 · 34 min · 11 segments
When Arkansas’s Education Freedom Accounts went universal last year, enrollment soared by 212% to 44,524 students. Dr. Patrick Wolf joins the podcast to discuss who’s participating, why families…
Patrick WolfGuest
Ginny GentlesHost
Were there any surprises in the report as you were putting the information together?
Well, Ginny, as you know, there are a lot of myths that surround private school choice.
And one is that choice programs will not serve disadvantaged kids, especially when they become universal, that those kids will be crowded out by the more privileged kids.
We see the exact opposite in the first year of universality in the Arkansas EFA program.
They were the children of veterans who often have to move a lot as they're restationed in different places.
So if you add up the representation in all these categories, it's nearly half of the population of students participating in this program.
Clearly, private school choice programs directed by parents like this one are especially attracted to kids with special circumstances and special needs.
Were there any surprises in the report as you were putting the information together?
Well, Ginny, as you know, there are a lot of myths that surround private school choice.
And one is that choice programs will not serve disadvantaged kids, especially when they become universal, that those kids will be crowded out by the more privileged kids.
We see the exact opposite in the first year of universality in the Arkansas EFA program.
They were the children of veterans who often have to move a lot as they're restationed in different places.
So if you add up the representation in all these categories, it's nearly half of the population of students participating in this program.
Clearly, private school choice programs directed by parents like this one are especially attracted to kids with special circumstances and special needs.
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