School Choice Revolution Improves U.S. Education with Robert Enlow | Let People Prosper Show Ep. 155 🎙️

Robert Enlow of EdChoice on ESAs, innovation, and the path to universal educational freedom

Hello Friends!

What if education dollars followed students, not systems?

That’s the idea Milton Friedman planted decades ago, and it’s the one powering the school choice revolution sweeping America today. In this week’s Let People Prosper Show, I talk with Robert Enlow, President and CEO of EdChoice, to discuss how the movement is finally turning Friedman’s vision into reality.

Robert brings deep experience and a clear-eyed view of what’s working—and what still needs fixing. We discuss Universal Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), state-level successes such as Arizona’s, the dangers of federal overreach, and the rapid growth of innovation in education across the country. If you care about parental rights, accountability, or economic freedom, this one’s for you.

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🎯 Key Takeaways

• School Choice Is No Longer Fringe
  Milton Friedman’s 1955 idea to fund students rather than government-run schools laid the foundation. Now, over 30 states have some form of school choice, and growing parent demand is pushing for universal ESAs.

• Arizona Leads the Way
  Robert highlights Arizona’s robust universal ESA program as a model for other states. It’s proof that when parents control funding, innovation and accountability follow. Don’t miss EdChoice’s excellent report called The 2025 EdChoice Freedom Index.

• Teachers Back It, Too
  Despite union narratives, 60% of teachers support ESAs—because real choice also gives them more options.

• Property Taxes & Fiscal Policy Matter
  We break down how property taxes and school funding mechanisms need to evolve in response to school choice. More choice without sustainable funding reform won't last.

• The Feds: Help or Hindrance?
  Federal involvement in education is a double-edged sword. While national policy can enable scale, it often imposes one-size-fits-all rules. Robert shares thoughts on the future of the Department of Education.

• The Marketplace of Education Is Growing
  Microschools, co-ops, virtual learning, direct-pay models—the education market is finally catching up to the demands of 21st-century families.

Parents—not politicians—know what’s best for their children. Giving them the power to choose through ESAs is the most effective way to improve education outcomes, unleash innovation, and make education spending more accountable. And it’s not just theory—it’s working in states that choose freedom over monopoly.

To let people prosper, we must:

• Enact universal ESAs so all students—not just the lucky few—have access to better options.

• Reform outdated property tax systems to fund students, not buildings.

• Shrink federal control and give states and families more flexibility.

• Encourage a dynamic education marketplace that meets each child’s needs.

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🕰️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction to Education and School Choice
02:58 – Robert’s Journey and Why Education Reform Matters
06:59 – Milton Friedman’s Impact on Modern School Choice
10:34 – The Evolution of EdChoice and the Movement’s Milestones
16:44 – School Choice in the States: Who’s Leading?
22:13 – What Arizona Gets Right
25:02 – Fixing How We Fund Education
30:21 – What Teachers Really Think About School Choice
35:36 – Federal Involvement: Necessary or a Threat?
40:31 – Robert Enlow’s Vision for the Future of Education

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🔚 Final Thoughts

The school choice movement is finally gaining momentum, but it needs bold leadership to fulfill its potential. As Robert and I discuss, now is the moment to empower families, fund students, and let a new era of innovation transform how we educate future generations.

Let’s unleash an education system where parents have the freedom to choose and children have the opportunity to succeed.

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