The Bottom Line White House Invites Keri D. Ingraham to Important School Choice Roundtable
As part of National School Choice Week, the White House hosted an important school choice roundtable event today with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon. Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and American Center for Transforming Education Director Keri Ingraham was in attendance.
The Trump Administration continues to recognize Ingraham’s significant contributions toward advancing education freedom in our nation through her leadership of the American Center for Transforming Education.
School choice, empowering parents, and creating a free-market K-12 education are the much-needed solutions.
Also, this week, Ingraham attended the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing titled “Empowering Families Through Educational Choice in America.” The committee is chaired by Senator Bill Cassidy, who opened the event, providing sound clarity. He stated, “Not every child has access to a quality education. The status quo is not working for everyone.”
Citing the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, Senator Cassidy noted that the scores are the lowest the U.S. has seen in 30 years and that only one-third of high school seniors are proficient in reading. Additionally, he referenced that “nearly 60 percent of employers say that ‘high school graduates are not job-ready.’”
Debunking the notion that more money is needed for public education, Senator Cassidy reminded the committee that America has tried that approach, and it does not work, giving the example of billions of additional dollars for public schools during the COVID pandemic.
“School choice is the avenue for expressing the innovation that we need. Education is not one-size-fits-all.” Additionally, he explained that school choice puts the parent in charge of their children’s education. He also noted data evidencing that “the American people want school choice.” Senator Cassidy rightly stated, “healthy competition drives results.”
The committee hearing included testimony from three witnesses, as well as remarks and questions from the committee members. Senator Tommy Tuberville concluded the hearing with these words: “Kids are our futures…we have to do something different. What we’ve been doing is not working.”
School choice, empowering parents, and creating a free-market K-12 education are the much-needed solutions.