WASHINGTON — An upcoming executive order from President Donald Trump is set to enhance private school vouchers and various school choice programs. This directive instructs federal agencies to reallocate federal funds for these initiatives.
The Department of Education is tasked with utilizing discretionary funds to prioritize school choice initiatives. This includes providing states with updated guidance on how federal funds can facilitate K-12 voucher programs.
The executive order, expected to be signed soon, may unlock certain federal funding for school choice; however, its impact might be limited, as most educational financial resources originate from state and local levels. Additionally, the decision-making around school choice largely falls under state jurisdiction.
The order asserts that traditional public schools have not served students effectively, vowing that the current administration intends to “open up opportunities for students to attend the school that best fits their needs.”
Various government entities, including the Departments of Defense and Health and Human Services, along with the Bureau of Indian Education, will be instructed to assist states and families in finding ways to utilize existing federal funds for school choice programs.
The timing of this signing coincides with National School Choice Week celebrations among conservative groups, along with troubling results from a national assessment showing that students in America are lagging in reading and showing minimal progress in math since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The order references findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, revealing that 70% of eighth-graders do not meet reading proficiency standards, and 72% are not proficient in math.
In response to these concerning outcomes, the Trump administration expressed a pledge to “reorient our education system to fully empower states, prioritize meaningful learning and provide universal access to high-quality instruction.”
During his campaign, Trump promised to bolster school choice, which has been a significant aspect of the Republican education platform. He proposed “massive funding preferences” for states that adopt universal school choice—allowing nearly all families to utilize taxpayer-funded education resources for private schooling, homeschooling, or other alternatives outside of local public school systems.
Arizona took the lead in implementing universal school choice in 2022, followed by other Republican-led states. However, critics argue that such policies threaten the integrity of public education.
In his first term, Trump sought to expand school choice initiatives and appointed Betsy DeVos, a prominent advocate for these policies, as his education secretary. Although DeVos collaborated with governors to broaden state policies, efforts to pass Congressional legislation for tax incentives on donations made for private school scholarships were unsuccessful.
Recently, Trump nominated Linda McMahon, a billionaire involved in professional wrestling, to be the new education secretary. McMahon, whose Senate hearing date has yet to be determined, has voiced support for expanding school choice initiatives.
