Trump trusts parents to know what's best for their kids. What a concept! | Opinion
The bottom line is that the current system of educating America's kids isn't working, and Trump is smart to think outside the box.
Former President Joe Biden spent the past four years doing the bidding of the teachers' unions, and the country’s kids have suffered as a result.
So it is refreshing to see President Donald Trump prioritize what’s best for families when it comes to their children’s education.
Case in point: Trump last week issued an executive order that directed the federal Education Department to examine ways it can better support school choice programs at the state level – and perhaps encourage other states to create similar opportunities.
“Parents want and deserve the best education for their children,” the order states. “But too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school.”
That’s putting it mildly.
It’s no coincidence that this order came out the same day as the National Assessment of Educational Progress. As the executive order notes, the Nation’s Report Card showed that 70% of eighth graders were below proficiency in reading and 72% were below proficiency in math. And children are still suffering from the long – and unnecessary – public school closures during COVID-19.
The bottom line is that the current system of educating America’s kids isn’t working, and Trump is smart to think outside the box and encourage states to break free of the stranglehold that unions have on government-run schools.
“I think the administration is doing its best to balance the role of the federal government in education while empowering states to be the primary drivers of education,” Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice, told me.
GOP states are leading the way in school choice. The federal government should be a partner.
The past few years have truly been revolutionary in the school choice world. More than 12 states (Tennessee is the latest) have passed some form of universal choice program that includes the ability to attend a private school.
Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Culture Project and the Reason Foundation, said other states are poised to pass major school choice reforms, including his home state of Texas.
Trump’s action could help these states finalize these bills.
That appears to be the case in South Dakota, where one Republican legislative leader said he wants to “capitalize” on the executive order to get school choice legislation passed.
“The main benefit is that Trump's executive order on school choice puts wind at the sails of the school choice movement,” DeAngelis told me. “It supercharges the momentum that's already happening at the state level.”
Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers and one of the biggest backers of sticking with the status quo, has called Trump’s order an “attack” on public education. She also seems to counterintuitively believe that giving families more school choice will limit their choices.
That doesn’t make a lot of sense.
I think it has a lot more to do with Weingarten fearing her empire of union dues – and the political power that comes with them to elect Democrats – may be at risk.
Trump thinks the states are better stewards of our children's education. He's right.
DeAngelis cautioned that while it’s encouraging for Trump to promote school choice in this way, there’s only so much the president can accomplish via executive order.
That’s where Congress can step in. And it already has.
Last week, Republican lawmakers reintroduced the Educational Choice for Children Act, which would create a federal tax credit program to incentivize charitable donations to fund education scholarships that would cover a variety of K-12 expenses.
It’s similar to what former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos worked with Congress to pass during Trump’s first term.
Trump also has bigger plans in the works regarding the U.S. Department of Education. He wants to dismantle the $80-billion-a-year behemoth altogether. And for good reason.
The stranglehold of rules and regulations in exchange for funding is a failed experiment, and Congress would be better off sending block grants directly to the states.
Another executive order is in the works to outline how Trump wants this to happen. Again, however, Congress is going to have to get involved.
Far too many children are being let down by the public education system. Trump and Republican lawmakers should prioritize both expanding school choice incentives and doing away with the Education Department if they want to see any real change or progress.
As EdChoice’s Enlow said, “Education is a state's prerogative, and the federal government can come alongside and help states do their job better."
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at Paste BN. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques