The order states that it is the policy of the Trump administration to “support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children,” and it directs the Department of Education to prioritize school choice programs through discretionary grants.
“Parents want and deserve the best education for their children. But too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school. According to this year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math,” the order reads. “Moreover, geographically based school assignments exacerbate the cost of housing in districts with preferred schools, straining the finances of millions of American families sacrificing for their children’s futures.”
“When our public education system fails such a large segment of society, it hinders our national competitiveness and devastates families and communities. 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,” the order continues.
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“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 growing body of rigorous research demonstrates that well-designed education-freedom programs improve student achievement and cause nearby public schools to improve their performance,” it reads.
The order specifically directs:
- the Secretary of Education to issue guidance within 60 days regarding how states can use federal formula funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives.
- the Secretary of Education to include education freedom as a priority in discretionary grant programs.
- The Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance within 90 days regarding “whether and how states receiving block grants for families and children from the Department, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDGB), can use them to expand educational choice and support families who choose educational alternatives to governmental entities, including private and faith-based options.”
- The Secretary of Defense to review and submit a plan about the ways in which military-connected families may use funds from the department to attend schools of their choice for the 2025-2026 school year.
- The Secretary of the Interior to review and submit a plan within 90 days about the ways in which families of students eligible to attend Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Schools may use their federal funding to attend the school of their choice for the 2025-2026 school year.
Trump campaigned on supporting school choice — a position popular with parents and Americans of all political affiliations — and even expressed support for ending the Department of Education and sending power back to states and communities.
A survey, conducted by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, a public opinion research firm that worked on President Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns, found that 75 percent of voters would rate the public education system in the U.S. as fair or poor. At the same time, voters believe by nearly a 2-to-1 margin that parents should be in charge of deciding the best education for their children, as opposed to local school boards, teachers’ unions, and the government.
The survey additionally found that 74 percent of voters favor school choice whereby parents are allowed to choose the public, private, or technical trade school they send their children to. Eighty-one percent agree that the U.S. should “empower parents” and “prioritize students’ needs by providing greater access and more choices to ensure children receive the best education.” Sixty-five percent say parents should have more of a say in deciding children’s education rather than teachers’ unions.
Americans’ record-low confidence in education within the last several years notably arose in the aftermath of government and union-led school shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, which led to catastrophic learning losses. At the same time, many parents were exposed to the left-wing ideology infiltrating their children’s education, along with the discovery of pornography in schools, drag performances for minors, and schools assisting or facilitating sex changes for minors without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
Trump has begun tackling this ideology through other executive orders, including one he signed this week ordering the defunding of schools that promote radical gender ideology and Critical Race Theory.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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