Linda McMahon

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on Newsmax to discuss the continued advancement of school choice under the Trump Administration. Ingraham addresses the 45-year failure of the U.S. Department of Education and why returning education to the states is crucial for the improvement of academic outcomes. She also explains the exciting new Education Freedom Tax Credit and how Americans can contribute to a scholarship-granting organization to help children and, in turn, receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit up to $1,700 a year. This interview followed Ingraham’s participation in Monday’s “Back to School and Education Freedom Event” at the White House.

On August 24, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and American Center for Transforming Education Director Keri D. Ingraham participated in the “Back to School and Education Freedom Event,” hosted at the White House by invitation of President Trump. The event brought together students, parents, educators, policymakers, and education leaders from across the country to celebrate historic wins for education freedom, the protection of parental rights, and working to move K-12 education control out of Washington and back to the states where it rightfully belongs. From the steps outside the Oval Office, President Trump greeted guests seated in the Rose Garden and delivered remarks. He noted that our country’s education has been “weaponized against the goals that we all stand for.” More Read More ›

Keri D. Ingraham appeared on Futures Edge on June 22 to discuss the landscape of education freedom in America today. She and host Jim Iuorio discussed the Trump Administration’s progress in dismantling the Department of Education and why it was created under President Jimmy Carter. They also explore alternatives to public school and four-year colleges that can set students on paths toward a successful future.

Today, the Department of Education announced four additional interagency agreements as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to return education to the states. In typical fashion, the teachers’ unions and their political allies immediately attempted to spread fear, claiming that federal protections are being eliminated, a claim with no basis in reality. Instead, it’s yet another strategic step to reduce unnecessary federal bureaucracy, improve services, and move education decisions closer to the students, families, and communities they affect most. The first agreement establishes a partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Some opponents immediately claimed that students with disabilities would lose Read More ›

Recently, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and American Center for Transforming Education Director, Keri D. Ingraham, returned to the White House. In recognition of her education work, Ingraham has received a dozen invitations over the past year. The first invitation came in March of 2025 from President Trump to attend the “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” executive order signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House. It was a special day that provided her with the opportunity to speak individually with nine governors and many other state and national leaders. Following that, Ingraham was invited to the White House for meetings and then for the America 250 Summit in August. In September, she was invited Read More ›

It’s been just over one year since President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and return authority to the states. It was a historic day to take the first step toward stopping the status quo of pouring astronomical amounts of money and layering on more and more federal bureaucracy, without improving learning. Education is intended to be governed at the state and local level. While it will take votes in Congress to fully eliminate the Department of Education, under the leadership of Secretary Linda McMahon, much progress has already occurred in downsizing it. For example, $2 billion in funds that supported radical ideologies have been cut, staffing has been downsized nearly 50%, and it Read More ›

For decades, the Department of Education has operated the federal student loan system on autopilot, continually expanding its size, complexity, and cost. The result is a $1.7 trillion portfolio — nearly twice the size of all university endowments combined and larger than JPMorgan Chase’s loan portfolio, the nation’s largest bank — yet it operates without the financial expertise, transparency, or accountability a system of this scale requires. The Department of Education reports that fewer than 40 percent of borrowers are in repayment, and nearly a quarter of borrowers are in default. While not designed to function as a bank, the Department of Education has been managing what is effectively the fifth-largest financial institution in the United States. A course correction Read More ›

It’s been one year since President Trump signed the historic executive order, “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” At the signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2025, the President directed U.S. 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.” The stated purpose and policy of the executive order reads: “Our Nation’s bright future relies on empowered families, engaged communities, and excellent educational opportunities for every child. Unfortunately, the experiment of controlling American education through Read More ›

The U.S. Department of Education has spent more than $3 trillion since 1980, with little to show for it. Reading and math scores have barely budged, achievement gaps remain, and too many families are trapped in a system that fails their children. On March 20, 2025, President Trump took decisive action by signing an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the department and return authority to the states. A year later, the results are striking. The department has overhauled operations — cutting nearly half its staff, reducing administrative layers, and consolidating offices. Grants have been streamlined, programs merged, reporting reduced, and oversight of the $1.6 trillion student-loan portfolio shifted to a more capable agency. Critics predicted chaos. Read More ›

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.

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. 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 ›