American Center for
Transforming Education

The mission of Discovery Institute’s American Center for Transforming Education is to work with state government policymakers, parents, educators, business leaders, and other education stakeholders to transform our nation’s education system. We advocate for policies that empower parents, promote innovation, and equip students with the skills, knowledge, and character necessary to thrive as citizens in their communities and as contributors to our increasingly competitive economy. ⋮ Read More.

Blog

Fearmongering and Falsehoods Over Education Dept. Shutdown

_{Keri D. Ingraham
April 1, 2025
5
Education Policy}

Unsurprisingly, there is tremendous fearmongering marked by falsehoods from the opposition regarding President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Public school personnel are already claiming that special education funding has been cut and that closing the department will devastate their ability to educate students. These claims are unfounded.

It’s Time for States to Reform Teacher Pay and Teacher Certification

_{Keri D. Ingraham
March 31, 2025
2
Teaching}

The Trump administration hit the ground running, reforming education in America. Most recently, President Trump signed the “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” executive order. The order calls for the Secretary of Education to take all steps lawful to move toward closing the U.S. Department of Education and return authority to the states. According to a press release from the Department of Education, among other things, “Teachers will be unshackled from burdensome regulations and paperwork, empowering them to get back to teaching basic subjects.” This is a vital step forward for educators nationwide. However, the teacher education reforms that are needed must not stop there. Recently, Vivek Ramaswamy penned an article for …

Attending an Executive Order Signing at the White House

_{Keri D. Ingraham
March 26, 2025
1
Uncategorized}

On March 20, I was at the White House as President Trump unveiled and signed into law the “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” executive order. It was an incredible honor to receive this special invitation to the White House and recognition as an education freedom champion in our country from the President of the United States. While at the White House, I had the pleasure of speaking with Governors Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott, Kim Reynolds, Bill Lee, Jeff Landry, Mike Braun, Mike DeWine, Brad Little, and Jim Pillen, among many others. It was a great day for the nation, taking an essential step in the right direction to effectively educate children, who are the future of our country. With this executive order, President Trump …

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Dismantle Department of Education

_{Keri D. Ingraham
March 26, 2025
4
Education Policy}

Making good on his campaign promise, President Trump has taken historic action to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Last Thursday, the President signed the “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” executive order into law. The order directs the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.” According to the associated White House Fact Sheet, the executive order returns “power over education to families instead of bureaucracies.” This is a much-needed change for …

Returning Education to the States

_{Keri D. Ingraham
March 26, 2025
3
Education Policy}

On Thursday, President Trump announced from the East Room in the White House, “We are going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs. And this is a very popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it is a common sense thing to do, and it is going to work. Absolutely, it is going to work.” “Today we take a very historic action that was 45 years in the making… I will sign an executive order to begin eliminating the Federal Department of Education once and for all.” Continuing, the president said, “Everyone knows it is right. And we have to get our children educated.” Since taking office, 50% of the positions at the department have been cut, which is a reduction of roughly 2,000 federal bureaucrats. Yet, the president was clear that …

A Special White House Invitation

_{American Center for Transforming Education
March 24, 2025
2
Education Policy}

On Thursday, Keri D. Ingraham, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, was at the White House at the invitation of President Trump for the “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” executive order unveiling and signing ceremony. “It was an incredible honor to receive this special invitation to the White House and recognition as an education freedom champion in our country from the President of the United States. While at the White House, I had the pleasure of speaking with Governors Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott, Kim Reynolds, Bill Lee, Jeff Landry, Mike Braun, Mike DeWine, Brad Little, and Jim Pillen, among many others. It was a great day for the nation, taking an essential step in the right direction to …

Video

Keri D. Ingraham Discusses the Dismantling of the Department of Education on NTD News

_{American Center for Transforming Education
March 22, 2025
Education}

On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. Keri D. Ingraham attended the signing as a guest of the President. Afterward, she appeared on NTD News Today to discuss the executive order. She covered concerns about interruption in service to our nation’s schoolchildren, the failure of big government to improve student learning, the advantages of decentralizing education, and the future possibility of fully abolishing the Department of Education. … https://www.youtube.com/live/6cJaE4wezko?si=hBmUFnXOVyC0rKiq&t=8177

Keri D. Ingraham Appears on Newsmax to Discuss Dismantling the Department of Education

_{American Center for Transforming Education
March 22, 2025
Education}

On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. Keri D. Ingraham attended the signing as a guest of the President. Afterward, she appeared on Newsmax National Report to discuss the executive order. Keri responded to the “fearmongering” reactions to the executive order, spoke of the need of education returning to the states, and addressed the importance of school choice for all students. Students are back in the hands of the states, where they belong!🎓 @neerajadeshp & @KeriDIngraham joined @NEWSMAX to discuss @POTUS's executive order dismantling the Department of Education. pic.twitter.com/o6M5FfADbs— Independent Women's Forum (@IWF) March 22, 2025 …

Keri D. Ingraham Talks Defending Women’s Sports on NTD News

_{American Center for Transforming Education
February 7, 2025
Education}

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on NTD Newsroom on February 6, 2025 to discuss the Trump administration’s executive order banning biological men from women’s sports. … https://www.youtube.com/live/zUi6KUQYwNU?feature=shared&t=991

Audio Podcasts

Keri D. Ingraham Talks to CBN News About Empowering Parents in K-12 Education

_{American Center for Transforming Education
March 11, 2025
1
School Choice}

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on the CBN News Quick Start Podcast to discuss the Trump administration’s overhaul of the U.S. Department of Education. She covered the origins of the U.S. Department of Education, the recent results of the Nation’s Report Card, and how school choice empowers parents and improves learning for all students. …

Keri D. Ingraham Discusses School Choice Victories with Carrie Abbott

_{American Center for Transforming Education
February 6, 2025
1
School Choice}

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on the Carrie Abbott Show to discuss the historic K-12 education reform victories that have happened over the past couple of weeks. Learn about the executive orders that have been issued to expand school choice, ban gender ideology and DEI, protect parental rights, and more! Click HERE to listen to this important conversation. …

Keri D. Ingraham Discusses the Most Important Issues in K-12 Education on the Humanize Podcast

_{American Center for Transforming Education
October 29, 2024
1
School Choice}

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on this week’s episode of the Humanize Podcast, hosted by Wesley J. Smith. Together, they discuss the importance of education for human dignity and freedom and the problems facing American K-12 education today, including how bureaucracy is impeding student success, the indoctrination happening in the classrooms, the incredible power of teachers unions, the problems of technology, and more. Listen to this important conversation here. …

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Events

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