Keri D. Ingraham

Teachers are incentivized in education to stay in the profession longer through the step-and-lane salary schedule, which gives a raise each year for experience, regardless of professional performance. This creates a system in which individuals are not accountable for proving they are providing student learning. Teacher pay is not linked to student test scores or student growth; rather, it is based on time in the profession. High-achieving individuals enter the profession and find that their hard work and professional results are not rewarded. They often leave the system to pursue a career opportunity in which their job performance is recognized with financial compensation. It’s time the system was flipped so that high performance by educators is incentivized and rewarded. The status Read More ›

Following several invitations to the White House in 2025, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and American Center for Transforming Education Director Keri D. Ingraham returned this week. The Trump Administration continues to prioritize the advancement of education freedom and education innovation, while breaking down the needless federal bureaucracy. In March, Ingraham was at the White House as a guest of the President to attend the “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” executive order signing ceremony. As she said at the time for the White House website, “With this executive order, President Trump is delivering on his promise to the American people to dismantle the ineffective and bureaucracy-ridden U.S. Department of Education and return education to the states where Read More ›

Last week, the White House convened an education roundtable with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon titled, “Biased Professors, Woke Administrators, and the End of Free Inquiry on U.S. Campuses.” Secretary McMahon opened the event by stating, “It was an honor to be at the White House today with this dedicated coalition of students, faculty, institutional leaders, and policy advocates to highlight the issue of woke ideology and the capture of our institutions of higher education. DEI policies have turned universities from free marketplaces of ideas to purveyors of manufactured ideological conformity, chilling free speech and undermining academic rigor.” She explained, “We are committed to working with higher education leaders to reverse course from these decades of decline.” The Secretary Read More ›

Marking her sixth invitation to the White House this year, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and American Center for Transforming Education Director Keri D. Ingraham attended an education roundtable on December 3. The roundtable discussion, led by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, was titled “Biased Professors, Woke Administrators, and the End of Free Inquiry on U.S. Campuses.” This was the second of a three-part higher education roundtable series. The first roundtable discussion, held in November, was titled “Administrative Bloat and Low-Value Programs: How U.S. Universities are Failing American Families and How They Can Reform.” Secretary McMahon opened her remarks by stating: “It is an honor to be here today at the White House with this dedicated coalition of students, faculty, Read More ›

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.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced six interagency agreements (IAAs) with four federal agencies to take another major step forward toward fulfilling the promise of dismantling the 45-year failure of the astronomically expensive and ineffective department. The agreements are with the Department of Labor, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of State. According to a press release from the Department of Education, “by partnering with agencies that are best positioned to deliver results for students and taxpayers, these IAAs will streamline federal education activities on legally required programs, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs and activities to better serve students and grantees.” The six agreements are as follows. First Read More ›

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 locked in underperforming schools. We are unlocking Read More ›

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 intra-district Read More ›

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, parental rights, and public education reform. The inspiring event left attendees energized and Read More ›

On October 1, Keri D. Ingraham spoke to the graduate students in the classical education program at Hillsdale College in Michigan. Ingraham was asked to share about her work as a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and as Director of the Institute’s American Center for Transforming Education. Following the introductory time, she delivered formal remarks for 40 minutes in a speech titled “Education Freedom Is Essential.” Here is an excerpt from Ingraham’s speech: As a nation, we can no longer justify restricting children to these failing government-run schools for their education. Nor can the ever-increasing astronomical spending on the public education system continue to support the status quo. Change is urgently needed. And that change will require competition. As Andy Read More ›

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on the Jason Rantz Show this week to discuss the anti-American indoctrination occurring in K-12 education. Ingraham addresses the September 10 assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, the role that public education plays in advancing radical ideologies, as well as the massive response from young Americans wanting to start or join a Turning Point USA chapter to make a positive difference on their campuses.