 When Linda McMahon, President Trump’s nominee to be Education Secretary, arrives at the Senate for her upcoming confirmation hearing, she will be the prospective leader of a paradigm shift in how America’s children are taught. President Trump made this clear on Thursday by directing the Secretaries of Education and Labor to review their discretionary grant programs and submit plans to “expand education freedom for America’s families and teachers.” If confirmed as Secretary, McMahon will issue guidance to states on how to use federal funds for school choice. Other agencies, from the Department of Defense to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services will also look to repurpose block grants to “expand educational choice.” This is a bold move that puts existing federal grants behind the exploding school choice movement. Twelve states have recently adopted some form of universal school choice. Texas appears poised to become the next sometime this year. Now, thanks to this brisk action by the Trump Administration, existing funding will be redirected to bolster educational competition. Though the president’s actions were denounced by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers “as a direct attack” on public schools, the evidence says otherwise. Out of 28 studies that explored the causal relationship between school choice and the performance of public schools, 25 found that school choice improves educational attainment in traditional school systems. School choice fulfills the promise of the First Amendment by allowing parents to exercise their right to extend their values across generations. Competition brings out the best in all of us. Now federal agencies will be competing to be the best in realizing the president’s school choice vision. Comments are closed.
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