A K-12 education redesign is past due. The existing system must be modernized to effectively engage, educate, and prepare students. Innovation is desperately needed.
The restrictive and limited one-size-fits-all approach, which attempts to educate all students the same way for the same length of time, needs to give way to innovative approaches tailored to individual learners. K-12 education should focus on achievement rather than time. This includes redesigning the school year and school day, the purpose and practice of assessments, curriculum, graduation requirements, teacher certification, teacher pay, and funding.
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Keri D. Ingraham July 15, 2026 5 Innovation For generations, education has been confined to four walls, desks arranged in rows, and a curriculum increasingly disconnected from the world students are preparing to enter. Sadly, the majority of students today are disengaged and unmotivated. It is not because they lack potential, but because school feels removed from real life. At the same time, today’s children spend an average of nearly seven hours a day on screens while engaging in only a few minutes of unstructured outdoor play. As opportunities to explore, wonder, and learn through firsthand experience disappear, so too do many of the conditions that help children thrive. In Holland, Michigan, the Outdoor Discovery Center (ODC) Network is offering a way forward. It demonstrates what becomes possible when education is … Keri D. Ingraham July 9, 2026 4 School Choice A recent open letter signed by more than 2,000 University of California science, technology, engineering and math professors expressed concerns about something that put “UC’s mission…at risk.” Over the past five years, they wrote, students have become increasingly unprepared for college math courses. The decline has been “so severe that instructors must reteach middle-school mathematics.” The professors proposed a solution: The UC system should once again require students to submit SAT or ACT scores in the admission process, a practice it abandoned in 2020. Lowering standards did not level the playing field. Instead, students were given an illusion of readiness. It’s about time some healthy competition was introduced into the college entrance … Keri D. Ingraham July 1, 2026 6 Education Policy This was originally published in The Believe! Journal on July 4th, 2025, with the title: Is America Doomed to Decline? We republish it here for the United States’ 250th birthday, since its message remains relevant and important on this historic anniversary. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”The Declaration of Independence With the 250th anniversary of our nation upon us, many are reflecting on the past while also considering the future. What makes America unique? Where is the great American experiment headed? Are our best days behind us? Is America doomed to decline? Despite all America has … Keri D. Ingraham June 26, 2026 5 School Choice Across 423 counties in 13 states, 26 million Americans live with a persistent opportunity gap. It’s not because of a lack of effort, talent, or community commitment, but because big government systems meant to serve them have failed to deliver. At the center of that failure is education. For too long, families in Appalachia have been asked to accept a one-size-fits-all public education system that assigns children to schools based on ZIP code rather than need, fit, or school quality. The results have been predictable. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission’s 2019-2023 American Community Survey, just 27.3 percent of adults in the region hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 35 percent nationally. In Kentucky’s Appalachian counties, that … Keri D. Ingraham June 11, 2026 5 School Choice For decades, the Appalachian region of America has been the subject of political promises, federal programs, philanthropic funding, and endless so-called solutions. Despite trillions of dollars in government spending and generations of outside intervention, the majority of Appalachian communities continue to struggle with poverty, addiction, outmigration, economic stagnation, and weak educational outcomes. Appalachia has long been given “the wrong kind of attention,” according to Garrett Ballengee, president and CEO of the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy. Under Ballengee’s leadership, the Center for Appalachian Renewal is committed to creating a brighter future for people, not another generation of paternalistic programs or distant experts managing … American Center for Transforming Education June 5, 2026 1 Innovation On May 28, Keri D. Ingraham appeared on The Andy Caldwell Show with guest host Dave Cross. Ingraham explains how the Department of Education is reducing its federal footprint. Ingraham dispels the fearmongering tactics of teachers unions and government officials and highlights how the major reforms happening in the Department of Education are incentivizing states to modernize their education systems. Listen to Part 1 Here In part two, Ingraham explores how the push for phonics-based literacy instruction in states like Mississippi is producing better academic outcomes and forging the way for other states to do the same. School choice is empowering parents to ensure their child gets an academically rigorous education. Listen to Part 2 Here … Keri D. Ingraham May 28, 2026 6 Innovation Vice President JD Vance’s remarkable journey from a trauma-filled childhood to holding the second-highest office in the country is a clear depiction of the American Dream. It is also a powerful reminder that education and opportunity can fundamentally change the trajectory of a person’s life. It’s been 10 years since Vance published “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” publicly sharing the horrors of his childhood and how he was able to rise above them through his military experience and higher education. The book quickly became a #1 New York Times bestseller. Then, in July 2024, the book once again drew tremendous interest when President Trump selected Vance as running mate for his 2024 reelectioncampaign. In a 2017 interview, Vance acknowledged … American Center for Transforming Education February 19, 2026 1 Future of Work 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? … American Center for Transforming Education November 25, 2025 1 Innovation On Monday, November 24, Keri D. Ingraham appeared live with Jim Iuorio and Bobby Iaccino on their Futures Edge Show. Together, they first discussed last week’s major announcement that the Department of Education would be delegating various responsibilities to other federal departments. They then delved into the reforms required to incentivize teachers to excel in their field, the strengths of industry-specific high schools and microschools, how Indiana is reforming education, the role of AI in education, and more. We are LIVE on the Futures Edge Show. https://t.co/IfAFb00q6x— Bob Iaccino (@Bob_Iaccino) November 24, 2025 … American Center for Transforming Education November 20, 2025 3 Innovation In Scottsdale, Arizona, on November 18, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and American Center for Transforming Education Director Keri D. Ingraham addressed the audience in a packed ballroom at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort during day one of Discovery Institute’s COSM Technology Summit, spanning three days. She referenced the countless significant accomplishments across various policy areas, including education reform, that the Honorable Doug Ducey achieved during his eight years as Governor of Arizona. Most notably, on July 7, 2022, Governor Ducey signed universal school choice into law by expanding the Empowerment Scholarship Account program to all of Arizona’s more than 1.1 million students. At the time, Governor Ducey explained: Arizona kids will no longer be … Keri D. Ingraham October 29, 2025 6 Innovation On Oct. 17, Indiana submitted a waiver application to the U.S. Department of Education seeking flexibility and a reduction of red tape from Washington. Under the leadership of Gov. Mike Braun and Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, Indiana is innovating K-12 education from all angles, and the rest of the nation should take note. Upon taking office in January, Braun expanded eligibility for the Choice Scholarship Program to all families in the Hoosier State, creating a free market K-12 education landscape. Demand for education options has surged, and providers have responded. In Indiana, private school choices have expanded significantly over the past four years, with enrollment up 22 percent. Indiana also offers robust public school choice, including inter-district and … American Center for Transforming Education October 22, 2025 2 Education Policy This week, Discovery Institute’s American Center for Transforming Education hosted a special event on Mercer Island, Washington. The evening began with remarks by Discovery Institute President Steve Buri. Then, longtime Discovery Institute Board member Bryan Mistele interviewed Senior Fellow and American Center for Transforming Education Director Keri D. Ingraham. Mistele, a gifted communicator, kicked off the questions by asking Ingraham to share how she became interested in education, her professional journey, and what brought her to Discovery Institute five years ago. Next, the work of the American Center for Transforming Education was discussed. Exciting updates were provided regarding the advancement of education freedom, education entrepreneurship, education innovation, …
