School Choice

On May 5, Keri D. Ingraham, Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, spoke at the ACE Scholarships Education Freedom Tax Credit Symposium. The event was held at the Four Seasons in Denver, Colorado.  In recognition of her national leadership in advancing education freedom, Ingraham was invited to deliver formal remarks titled “The Research Doesn’t Lie.”  The event was co-moderated by Norton Rainey, CEO of ACE Scholarships, and Hanna Skandera, President and CEO of Daniels Fund. Skandera provided a warm introduction of Ingraham, noting her professional accomplishments and influence. In her remarks, Ingraham stated:  U.S. K-12 public education spending is 38% higher per student than the average developed country — yet the majority of those countries outperform U.S. students academically.  Despite this, politicians, education leaders, and teachers unions remain fixated on the Read More ›

On April 23, Keri D. Ingraham appeared on Freedom to Learn with Ginny Gentles, a podcast of the Defense of Freedom Institute. Dr. Ingraham discussed the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and why downsizing the federal bureaucracy will improve learning outcomes for students. She also shattered school choice myths, exposed why the teachers unions unravel over the loss of bureaucratic control, and explained how the first in our nation’s history federal tax credit scholarship program will work.

On April 15, Keri D. Ingraham appeared on the Pioneer Institute’s education podcast, The Learning Curve, co-hosted by Professor Albert Cheng and Walter Blanks. Dr. Ingraham explains why she is passionate about giving kids school choice, the dismal state of public education in the United States, the importance of choice in education, how school choice improves learning outcomes even at public schools, and more.

On April 2, Keri D. Ingraham appeared on The Rod & Greg Show to discuss her Daily Wire article about parents taking control of their children’s education. Dr. Ingraham explains how the Covid-19 pandemic sparked the “great parent awakening” and a mass exodus from public schools, how competition improves learning outcomes for all students, and the importance of advancing education freedom in every state. Segment runs from 24:29-35:08

Across the country, policymakers have long assumed that boosting K-12 funding is the surest path to better student outcomes. Yet decades of rising spending have proven otherwise. The missing ingredient is not money — it’s meaningful choice. Florida provides one of the clearest examples. In 2001, the state launched a modest tax-credit scholarship program to help low-income students access alternative educational options. Roughly 15,000 students participated in the program’s first year. Today, Florida’s school choice ecosystem serves over 500,000 students across multiple programs, giving families options tailored to their children’s needs. Critics long warned that policies empowering parents with educational options for their children harm public schools and their students. The data, however, tell a different story — the positive Read More ›

It was an honor to attend the White House St. Patrick’s Day celebration as a guest of President Trump on March 17. The event brought together leaders from across the United States and Ireland. Among the guests were Taoiseach Micheál Martin and his wife, Mary O’Shea, Cabinet members, Agency Administrators, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, policymakers, media voices, and cultural leaders shaping the future of both nations. Being invited by the President was especially meaningful as the reflection on the life of Saint Patrick holds deep meaning. The White House has reminded Americans that “More than 1,600 years ago, Saint Patrick ventured through the emerald fields and ancient valleys of Ireland to introduce Read More ›

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on The Tony Kinnett Cast to discuss how the Trump Administration has shrunk the Department of Education, returning authority to states and to parents. Dr. Ingraham explained how removing red tape, funding programs such as charter schools, and creating interagency partnerships have reduced federal bureaucracy and improved education opportunities for children nationwide.

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on The Silk or Joe Show to discuss the progress of shrinking the U.S. Department of Education since President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on March 20, 2025, Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities. She talks about the importance of returning power to local communities and parents in K-12 education, the fear-mongering of the teachers unions, and how free market solutions will improve education outcomes nationwide.

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on The Ray Stevens Show on WLS 890 AM to discuss the progress in dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Ingraham discussed the current state of student learning, political activism in classrooms, and how the Trump administration is holding the Department accountable.

What if you could help a child receive a better education at no cost to yourself? Beginning in 2027, Americans will be able to do exactly that. Under the Education Freedom Tax Credit, taxpayers can contribute up to $1,700 annually to approved scholarship-granting organizations and, in return, receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit. Every dollar donated will be offset against the taxpayer’s debt to the federal government. Enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law on Independence Day last year, the policy establishes the first federal tax-credit scholarship program in U.S. history. Many states already have successful state-level tax-credit scholarship programs that can serve as a proof of concept. Nonprofit scholarship-granting organizations such as ACE Scholarships, which Read More ›

California’s Children’s Educational Opportunity (CEO) Act is a proposed statewide ballot measure for November 2026 that is currently gathering the required voter signatures to qualify. Led by former Thousand Oaks Mayor Kevin McNamee, it is positioned to become one of the most consequential school-choice initiatives in the country, as well as a potential template for other states seeking durable education reform through their constitutions rather than ordinary legislation. Supporters of the CEO Act begin with an indictment of California’s current K-12 performance: large numbers of 11th graders cannot read or do basic math proficiently, yet most still receive diplomas, and community colleges are forced to reteach core skills to recent graduates. This is happening even as the state spends roughly Read More ›

COSM, a technology summit held in Scottsdale, included an important main stage session with Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and Director of the American Center for Transforming Education Keri D. Ingraham, former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, and Founder of Love Your School and school choice advocate Jenny Clark. Educating the Tech Workforce: Has Arizona Provided a Roadmap?