President Donald Trump signed an executive order to direct the federal government to promote school choice for families nationwide.
The order cited the most recent test score data showing that the nation’s students have not recovered from pandemic-era school closures as a reason for promoting schooling options for families.
“When our public education system fails such a large segment of society, it hinders our national competitiveness and devastates families and communities,” the executive order reads. “For this reason, more than a dozen states have enacted universal K-12 scholarship programs, allowing families – rather than the government – to choose the best educational setting for their children.”
“These States have highlighted the most promising avenue for education reform: educational choice for families and competition for residentially assigned, government-run public schools,” the order continues. “The growing body of rigorous research demonstrates that well-designed education-freedom programs improve student achievement and cause nearby public schools to improve their performance.”
Critics of school choice measures took aim at the research cited by Trump’s executive order. On X, formerly Twitter, researcher Josh Cowen said, “Facts can’t be EO’d into existence.”
“Probably should go without saying, but the school voucher evidence referenced in the Trump voucher EO relies on ancient, largely industry-backed, and exaggerations of scant positive results,” Cowen wrote Thursday on the social media platform.
The White House’s order follows the Department of Education’s announcement Sunday that it is celebrating National School Choice Week.
“It is the policy of my Administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children,” Trump’s executive order reads.
The executive order requires the Secretary of Education to tell states how to use federal funds to support school initiatives and make education freedom a priority in awarding federal grants. It also requires other agencies to review or guidance on expanding school choice programs.
Brendan Clarey is a writer for The Center Square.
Reprinted with Permission from Just The News – By Brendan Clarey
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
School choice is needed for parents that want to Homeschool their children or send them to private schools. I’m sure there will be plenty of children left to go to public schools. It should be the parents’ rights to choose.
I really hope the money to pay for other people’s brats to have “school choice” isn’t going to be stolen from MY paycheck.
The problem is the government wants to be the parent. It does NOT “take a village”; it takes a mother and father (or a combination of the two- don’t be a hater!)
Trump should move as fast as feasible to totally stop every penny of expenditure associated with the Department of Education. Let the DOE people find other ways to make a living. Leave decisions to the locals, and educational outcomes will begin to rapidly improve.
Is Josh Cowen proud of the declining public school results? Children who can’t do simple math or read after years of “ education”?
There has been more than enough evidence to show our current educational system has failed. President Trump should have at the same time executed an EO baning all teacher unions that in itself would achieve higher academic standards.
Ya gotta love The Donald, and watch the Democrats cry.
How can public schools improve test scores when all the students whose parents care about their education are put in private schools leaving only those students with parents who don’t really care about education in the public schools? Teachers needs “tools” : ways to make students complete assignments, respect school authority and their fellow students, and get all this extra social education that parents should be doing out of the school day. Teachers love to teach children, but they cannot do all that some parents won’t.
Even as a teacher I have to concur with the President.
“There’s trouble in River City, and that trouble is spelled…” education.
The public schools grades k-12 have worked in USA for over 200 years, and that is what has made America great. My opinion, that America is going backwards by promoting private schools . Trump needs to realize that a well rounded education is important to America & that there are important ways to measure a person’s education than just grades on tests or whatever he is basing this on. Keep our public schools intact & fund them with state and federal dollars for the good of all Americans. Trump made promise to unify America and this is a division measure.
We all have to pay taxes that own property, homes etc The majority seems to deal with education. We, therefore, should have the right to use our money to support the freedom to choose where our children are educated.
As a teacher at a private school we discovered our sixth grade English program was teaching more than most students at a local college. The college president told us our students knew more than most of their Freshman college students.
School choice needs to be given to parents.
……As long as Christian schools (especially prep schools) are exempted from these alternative funding choice vouchers. The US supreme court has ruled that which it subsidizes it also must control (monitor allocated taxpayer monies). That can translate into specifying curriculum, which teachers to hire, etc. Why not just abolish the Dept of Education as Pres Trump stated upon winning the election.
“Woke is broke”, and, education should not amount to only window dressing. An education that enables personal fulfillment and upward mobility is what puts a young person in much better control of his/her life. I commend President Trump for taking real, positive steps to upgrade students’ chances to receive a truly higher education…. and a life of far greater opportunity and happiness. From a workforce perspective, this helps our nation tremendously, in ways that will ensure a competitive edge and more robust commerce for the USA.
Love it
YES nationwide
Federal Government needs to get out of education period! States and local communities are way better to understand what the kids need! Bring back one room school house concept where kids in a neighborhood go to a neighborhood building with qualified teachers paid by the families of the kids going there thru vouchers, allowing those families more control over the teachers hired! Back eons ago, these small schools produced kids who could run circles around other countries on math and science skills! Now we are near the bottom! Kids aren’t reading or challenged to go beyond the minimum! We don’t need a department of education, just a couple folks in some other departments setting standards for the kids to meet like multiply/divide by 3rd grade, etc. Let the communities with their teachers figure how to teach the children. And restructure the teaching colleges to graduate real teachers not propagandists!
Both Trump & Vance defend the use of tariffs & Vance went so far in debates to say that their economic advisors are smarter than all of the other economists that say Tariffs will raise inflation & cost consumers more. The Tariffs are a very dangerous game & does Trump really believe that period 1870-1913 was the best US times ever cuz US depended on tariffs and not income taxes. My opinion, the Canada tariffs are going to turn ugly and fast if Trump is not careful with his words.
Dept. of education would be in the same category as the one that led the war on poverty. Same results. Took only 50 years and unimaginable amount of money to notice.It is amazing what man can do when there is not another choice but do.