Trump to sign sweeping executive order to expand school choice

Table of Contents

The president is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday that would prioritize and free up federal funding to expand school choice programs, according to two sources familiar with his plans.

The order is expected to impact several federal departments, including the Department of Education, which is being instructed to prioritize school choice programs through its discretionary grant opportunities and provide guidance to states about how federal funds are allocated to districts and schools, a White House senior official mentioned

The Department of Health and Human Services would issue guidance instructing states receiving block grants for families and children, allowing those states to use that funding for faith-based and private institutions, it was stated.

It would also require Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to present a plan to Trump detailing how military families can utilize department funds to enroll their kids in schools they prefer, and would ask the interior secretary to submit a plan on how students at Bureau of Indian Education schools can take advantage of federal dollars for school choice.

It was initially reported that Trump was predicted to sign the order.

Frederick Hess, the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-of-center think tank, stated "clearly a stark shift in emphasis for Washington."

I'm glad to see the administration taking steps to give families more and better options," Hess said. "However, there are limitations to what can be done, considering the existing laws and the relatively limited role Washington plays in local K-12 education, it's commendable that the administration is expanding parental choice opportunities rather than hindering them – a pattern we've seen too frequently over the past four years.

Derrell Bradford, president of 50CAN, a nonprofit that supports school choice, said the executive order "is timely, given that many governors, families, students, and educators across the country are currently celebrating National School Choice Week. I, and I'm sure many other state-level advocates, look forward to seeing the recommendations filed on this extremely popular issue.”

Emphasizing "education freedom" by sharing options for students and families, including public schools, charter schools, private schools and homeschooling.

School choice gives parents and guardians the power to find the best educational setting for their kids," the department said in a statement. "It makes it possible for new and different teaching approaches to succeed that meet the special needs of students all around the country.

Opponents of school choice, which offers vouchers to families so they can choose schools for their children, claim that it damages public schools.

Research indicates that vouchers have a detrimental impact on academic achievement.

“Today, these vouchers are essentially helping rich families who are already sending their kids to private and religious schools,” she said. “The people pushing voucher programs are financing these giveaways by taking money away from and disrupting public schools.”

and will make sure that every family, regardless of where they live, has access to a great education.

The US Senate has not yet confirmed Linda McMahon to head the Department of Education. She is a former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO and was also the head of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first administration.

This article was originally published on a certain date.