(The Center Square) – 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.
• This story first published at Chalkboard News which, like The Center Square, is published by the Franklin News Foundation
