About
EFI Exists to
Research, Document, and Report
the benefits that school choice provides to students, families, and communities.
We support policies that protect and promote school choice.
We pursue this mission using objective data and through publishing our findings.
EFI is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to these efforts.
Leadership
Corey DeAngelis, PHD
Executive Director
Corey A. DeAngelis is a senior fellow at the American Culture Project. He has been labeled the “school choice evangelist” and called “the most effective school choice advocate since Milton Friedman.” He is a regular on Fox News and frequently appears in The Wall Street Journal. DeAngelis is also the executive director at Educational Freedom Institute, a senior fellow at Reason Foundation, an adjunct scholar at Cato Institute, and a board member at Liberty Justice Center. He holds a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas. He is the national bestselling author of The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools (Center Street, 2024).
Veronica Wilson
VP Development
Ms. Wilson has spent years helping education nonprofit organizations pursue their missions. Prior to her work expanding education freedom for students and families, Ms. Wilson worked on political campaigns where she helped candidates get elected to various posts in federal, state, and local offices. We're grateful to have Ms. Wilson on board at Educational Freedom Institute where she oversees the organization's development efforts.
Jay P. Greene, PhD
Managing Senior Fellow
Dr. Greene is a senior research fellow in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation. At Heritage, Jay conducts and disseminates research on the key issues facing education today, including the cultural, civic, and economic implications of how education systems are designed and implemented. He is one of the country’s leading experts on education policy, with highly influential research on a broad range of topics—from the effects of expanding school choice and how education shapes character and values to the misuse of social science research in policy debates. In addition to authoring dozens of publications in peer-reviewed journals and writing or editing four books, including the best-selling Education Myths, Greene’s research on school choice was also cited four times in the Supreme Court’s landmark case, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. Jay comes to Heritage from the University of Arkansas, where he served as Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Education Reform, which he founded and led for 16 years. Greene received his B.A. in history from Tufts University and earned his Ph.D. in government from Harvard University. Dr. DeAngelis holds a PhD in Education Policy from University of Arkansas
Ian Kingsbury, PhD
Senior Fellow
Dr. Kingsbury researches and publishes full time on educational freedom. His areas of interest center on the effects of policy on school choice options, virtual schooling, among other related topics. Ian's work is animated by the belief that school choice should be parent-centered and not held captive to the priorities of technocrats, philanthropists, or others who claim to know what is best for other people's children. Prior to joining EFI, Ian worked with Stride, Inc. and the Empire Center where he was fellow for education policy. Dr. Kingsbury received his PhD from the University of Arkansas where he studied Education Policy. Before joining the Empire Center, he was a postdoctoral fellow at The Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Kingsbury received his Master of Arts from the Teachers College of Columbia University in Education Policy and Social Analysis. He received his bachelor’s degree in Government and History from The College of William and Mary.
James Paul
Fellow
James Paul conducts empirical research on school choice, as well as academic freedom in higher education. Having previously worked as an Associate Policy Director at the Foundation for Excellence in Education and a Senior Policy Analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, James has experience researching and developing school choice programs. A graduate of Syracuse University (BA and MPA), James is a Distinguished Doctoral Fellow at the University of Arkansas’ Department of Education Reform. He is pursuing a PhD in Education Policy. Selected Research: Time for the School Choice Movement to Embrace the Culture War (EFI and Heritage Foundation) Political Opinions of K-12 Teachers: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey (EFI and Heritage Foundation) Other than Merit: The Prevalence of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statements in University Hiring (American Enterprise Institute) Diversity University: DEI Bloat in the Academy (Heritage Foundation) Equity Elementary: DEI Staff in Public Schools (Heritage Foundation) Inclusion Delusion: The Antisemitism of DEI Staff at Universities (Heritage Foundation) Does School Choice Need Bipartisan Support? An Empirical Analysis of the Legislative Record (American Enterprise Institute) Education Freedom and Student Achievement: Is More School Choice Associated with Higher State-Level Performance on the NAEP? (University of Arkansas School Choice Demonstration Project) Prior to joining EFI, Ian worked with Stride, Inc. and the Empire Center where he was fellow for education policy. Dr. Kingsbury received his PhD from the University of Arkansas where he studied Education Policy. Before joining the Empire Center, he was a postdoctoral fellow at The Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Kingsbury received his Master of Arts from the Teachers College of Columbia University in Education Policy and Social Analysis. He received his bachelor’s degree in Government and History from The College of William and Mary.
Selected Research:
- Time for the School Choice Movement to Embrace the Culture War (EFI and Heritage Foundation)
- Political Opinions of K-12 Teachers: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey (EFI and Heritage Foundation)
- Other than Merit: The Prevalence of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statements in University Hiring (American Enterprise Institute)
- Diversity University: DEI Bloat in the Academy (Heritage Foundation)
- Equity Elementary: DEI Staff in Public Schools (Heritage Foundation)
- Inclusion Delusion: The Antisemitism of DEI Staff at Universities (Heritage Foundation)
- Does School Choice Need Bipartisan Support? An Empirical Analysis of the Legislative Record (American Enterprise Institute)
- Education Freedom and Student Achievement: Is More School Choice Associated with Higher State-Level Performance on the NAEP? (University of Arkansas School Choice Demonstration Project)
Board of Directors
Lindsey Burke, PhD
Dr. Burke serves as the Director of the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC. Her research and commentary on school choice have been published widely in academic journals and news media outlets over the course of several years. Her voice is highly respected and sought after on education in America.
Matthew Nielsen, MS
Mr. Nielsen is passionate about the preservation of individual choice. He works to expand education options for families throughout the United States, recognizing the unique needs of individual students. He has authored many articles for news publications and is the author of the forthcoming book, Critical Condition.
Jason Bedrick, MPP
Mr. Bedrick has a long history in the school choice movement that has resulted in his gaining an impressive depth of knowledge about education policy at the state and federal levels. He also served as a state legislator, which gives him a unique and valuable perspective on how policy is formed.
Advisory Board
Jonathan Butcher, Will Skillman Fellow, Heritage Foundation
Jason Crye, Program Officer, Bradley Foundation
Dr. Angela Dills, Professor of Economics, Western Carolina University
Max Eden, Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Robert Enlow, President and CEO, EdChoice
Dr. Matthew Ladner, Director, Arizona Center for Student Opportunity
Kerry McDonald, Sr. Education Fellow at FEE
Dr. Benjamin Scafidi, Professor of Economics, Kennesaw State University
Inez Stepman, Sr. Policy Analyst, Independent Women’s Forum
Dr. Terry Stoops, Policy Advisor, NC Dept. of Education
