Saturday, January 10
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Kickoff
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM Concurrent Session 5 Choices
Organizer: Katherine Bathgate (EdChoice)
Moderator: Adam Peshek (Stand Together)
Participants: Robert Enlow (EdChoice), Michael Petrilli (Thomas B. Fordham Institute), Katherine Bathgate (EdChoice), Lauren May (Stand Up For Students)
§ Critical Conversation: Policy
Chair: Hannah K. Denker (University of Arkansas)
Presenters: Greg Phelan (Kennesaw State University), Christian Buerger (Indiana University Indianapolis), Erdal Asker (University of West Georgia) – Charter Schools, Home Values, and School Zone Changes in Indianapolis
Samuel Musser (University of Arkansas), Albert A. Cheng (University of Arkansas) – The Year-by-Year Primary and Secondary Education Histories of Private-Schooled Individuals
Misty Gallo (University of Arkansas), Colyn Ritter (EdChoice), Patrick J. Wolf (University of Arkansas) – Available Space…The Final Frontier
Hannah K. Denker (University of Arkansas), Kyle F. Butts (University of Arkansas) – Choosing Early: Patterns of School Choice and Stability in the First Years of Schooling
* Single Papers
Chair: Angela R. Watson (Johns Hopkins University)
Presenters: Alanna Bjorklund-Young (Johns Hopkins School of Education), Angela R. Watson (Johns Hopkins University) – How Political and Other Factors Drive State Homeschool Participation
Keturah abdullah (University of Michigan) – The 5 W’s of State-Level Homeschooling Policy: A Study of 12 States
Christy Batts (North Carolina State University) – Public Education Resources for Homeschoolers in North Carolina
Daion L. Daniels (University of Arkansas), Albert A. Cheng (University of Arkansas) – Education Freedom in Practice: How Homeschool Families in Arkansas Use EFA Funds
Discussant: Patrick J. Wolf (University of Arkansas)
† Research Panel
Chair: Ellen Goldring (Vanderbilt University)
Presenters: Ellen Goldring (Vanderbilt University), Angela Cox (Vanderbilt University) – Staffing Agencies in Public Education: A District Response to Teacher Shortages
Marjolein Camphuijsen (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Jan Baan (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Maaike Witvoet (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Melanie Ehren (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) – Teaching on New Terms: Professional Identities of Private Practice in the Netherlands
Madeline Mavrogordato (Michigan State University), Jason Burns (Michigan State University) – Keeping Top Teachers: District and Charter Leaders’ Perspectives on an External Partnership to Retain Educator Talent in the United States
Josep M. Nadal-Fernandez (Tulane University) – Becoming Permanent: Evidence from Chile on the Interplay Between Teacher Job Protection and School Competition
Discussant: Anna J. Egalite (North Carolina State University)
† Research Panel
Chair: Nathan Marshall (Brigham Young University)
Presenters: Nathan Marshall (Brigham Young University), Heidi H. Erickson (Brigham Young University) – Selective Factors Impacting Charter High School Enrollment
Sarah McKenzie (University of Arkansas), Roy McKenzie (University of Arkansas) – Teacher Quality and Charter School Persistence: Impacts on Student Learning and Enrollment Patterns
Yongmei Ni (University of Utah), Andrea Rorrer (University of Utah), Charisse Gulosino (University of Memphis) – Unequal Outcomes? STEM Enrollment and Achievement in Charter vs. Traditional Public Schools
Christopher Saldaña (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Laura Davalos (University of Wisconsin-Madison) – The Impact of State Financial Intervention on District Marketization
* Single Papers
11:15 AM – 12:45 PM Concurrent Session 6 Choices
Chair: Nina Buchanan (University of Hawai’i)
Presenters: Paul E. Peterson (Harvard University), Carlos X Lastra-Anadón (IE University) – Do We Need More Adults in U.S. School Districts or Do Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth?
Vladimir Kogan (Ohio State University), Michael Hartney (Boston College; Hoover Institution), Parker Baxter (University of Colorado Denver) – The Politics of Private School Vouchers: Evidence from Three Statewide Referenda
* Single Papers
Chair: Robert Maranto (University of Arkansas)
Presenters: Robert Maranto (University of Arkansas), Misty Gallo (University of Arkansas), Nathaniel Bork (University of Arkansas), James V. Shuls (Florida State University) – Learning to Lead 2026: What Topics Do Ed Leadership Graduate Programs Cover?
Carolyn Herrington (Florida State University) – Accountability, School Choice and the Role of the State: The Case of Florida, 1975-2025
Martin F. Lueken (EdChoice) – Do School Choice Programs Lead to Public School Closures? Evidence from 30 Years of State-Level Data
Josep M. Nadal-Fernandez (Tulane University), Douglas N. Harris (Tulane University) – When Schools Come and Go: Decomposing Average School Performance Through Market Dynamics
* Single Papers
Chair: Brian Kisida (University of Missouri)
Presenters: Heidi H. Erickson (Brigham Young University), Matthew H. Lee (Kennesaw State University), Brian Kisida (University of Missouri), J. Cameron Anglum (Lehigh University), Gary W. Ritter (Saint Louis University), Jennifer Gontram (Saint Louis University) – School Choice and Culture Wars: CRT Exposure and Viewpoint Diversity Across Educational Sectors
Brian Kisida (University of Missouri), Colyn Ritter (EdChoice), James V. Shuls (Florida State University), Gary W. Ritter (Saint Louis University) – What Should Schools Teach About America?
Gary W. Ritter (Saint Louis University), Colyn Ritter (EdChoice) – Public Attitudes and Teacher Responses to Political Intervention
Gerard Robinson (University of Virginia) – When Conservatives Become Abolitionists: Lessons the Abolish the Police Movement Can Teach Us Concerning Government Agencies and School Choice
† Research Panel
Organizer and Moderator: Colleen Hroncich (Cato Institute)
Participants: Lauren May (Step Up For Students), Shiren Rattigan (Colossal Academy; Innovative Educators Network), Kimberlee Tucker (The Homeschool Hive)
# Critical Conversation: Practitioner
Organizer and Moderator: Timberly L. Baker (Arkansas State University)
Participants: Cheryl Fields-Smith (University of Georgia), Najarian Peters (University of Kansas), Christal Gamble (EdChoice Parent Corps Ambassador Fellow), DeShaun Silas (EdChoice Parent Corps Ambassador Fellow)
# Critical Conversation: Practitioner
12:45 PM – 2:00 PM Networking Lunch
Sponsored by Kennesaw State University: Coles College of Business and the National Hybrid Schools Project
2:15 PM – 3:45 PM Concurrent Session 7 Choices
Chair: Christy Batts (North Carolina State University)
Presenters: Peter Stock (Canadian Centre for Home Education), Joseph Woodard (Canadian Centre for Home Education) – Home Education Growth in Canada – 2019-2025
“Rosenrot” Mireille Schülpke (Clonlara School) – Beyond the Kitchen Table: Understanding Homeschooling Through the Lens of Learning Ecosystems
Lindsay Gibson (University of Glasglow), Kaili C. Zhang (University of Glasglow) – Beyond Education and Care: Reframing Homeschooling as a Multifaceted Educational Approach
De’Ja Wood (Vanderbilt University) – Understanding Black Families’ School Choice as Acts of Refusal in Politicized Educational Landscapes
* Single Papers
Chair: John Kristof (EdChoice)
Presenters: David T. Marshall (Auburn University) – Alabama
Heidi H. Erickson (Brigham Young University) – Utah
Angela Dills (Western Carolina University), Anna J. Egalite (North Carolina State University) – North Carolina
Benjamin Scafidi (Kennesaw State University) – The Fiscal Impact of Universal Private School Choice
Discussant: John M. Kristof (EdChoice)
† Research Panel
Organizer and Moderator: Robert Maranto (University of Arkansas)
Participants: Stephen Macedo (Princeton University), Frances Lee (Princeton University), Paul E. Peterson (Harvard University), Rodrigo Queiroz e Melo (Universidade Católica Portuguesa), Patrick J. Wolf (University of Arkansas)
§ Critical Conversation: Policy
Organizer and Moderator: Najarian Peters (University of Kansas)
Participants: Gerard Robinson (University of Virginia), Alejandro David Tamez (University of Kansas)
‡ Critical Conversation: Research
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Concurrent Session 8 Choices
Chair: Colyn Ritter (EdChoice)
Presenters: James V. Shuls (Florida State University), Lynn Woodworth (Florida State University), Zach Goldberg (Florida State University) – Seeds of Support: How Experience and Exposure Shape Public Opinion on School Choice
William Mattox (James Madison Institute) – The Intersection of Schooling Preferences and Family Size: What We Learned From Florida Voters
Colyn Ritter (EdChoice) – Unconventional Supporters of School Choice: Diving Into the Crosstabs
Paul DiPerna (EdChoice) – Undercurrents of the School Choice Waves: Americans’ Values and Priorities in K–12 Education
† Research Panel
Chair: John Merrifield (Institute for Objective Policy Assessment)
Presenters: Kim Shaw (University of Arkansas), Taylor Wilson (University of Arkansas), Miranda Vernon (University of Arkansas) – Who Stays and Who Leaves? Predicting Public School Retention in the Era of School Choice
John Merrifield (Institute for Objective Policy Assessment) – How to Build on U.S. School Choice Expansion Progress: And Dodge New Minefields
Lori L. Taylor (Texas A&M University), Timothy Gronberg (Texas A&M University), Dennis W. Jansen (Texas A&M University) – Making Vouchers Work in Rural Areas: A Simulation
Peter Colenso (Global Schools Forum), Aashti Zaidi Hai (Global Schools Forum) – “All Hands on Deck”: The Critical Role of Non-State Actors in Basic Education in Low and Middle-Income Countries
* Single Papers
Chair: Brian D. Ray (National Home Education Research Institute)
Presenters: Albert A. Cheng (University of Arkansas), Nathan Honeycutt (University of Arkansas) – The Intellectual Courage of Homeschooled College Students’ and their Support for Academic Freedom
Catherine Sunshine (Ulster University) – Happy at Home? A Comparative Study of Psychological Well-Being and Psychiatric Risk in Home-and-School-Educated Children
Brian D. Ray (National Home Education Research Institute) – The Match of Mismatch Between Individuals’ Worldviews and Their Views on School Choice as Applied to Homeschooling
Sílvia Cópio (Aberta University), Gabriela Costa (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro), Brian D. Ray (National Home Education Research Institute), Erika di Martino (Fondazione Libera Schola), Dorcass Ross (Bolivian Homeschool Community) – The Impact of Legal Frameworks on Homeschooling Families: A Comparative Study of Portugal, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, the United States, Italy, and Other Selected European Countries (Spain, France)
† Research Panel
Organizer and Moderator: Madison Marino Doan (The Heritage Foundation)
Participants: Jonathan Butcher (The Heritage Foundation), Soren Schwab (Classic Learning Test), Tiffany Hoben (Cardinal Institute)
§ Critical Conversation: Policy
Organizer: Leslie Hiner (EdChoice)
Participants: Joanna DeJong VanHof (Cardus), Josyane Zingg (OIDEL), Alexandre Magno Fernandes Moreira (European Law Association)
§ Critical Conversation: Policy