President Donald Trump\u2019s recent White House \u201cBack to School and Education Freedom Event\u201d showcased the extraordinary progress his administration has made in just a year and a half to replace federal overreach with parental empowerment and education freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As President Trump\u00a0declared<\/a>\u00a0in his remarks, \u201cWe\u2019re systematically ending every single one of these radical left betrayals, and we\u2019re putting the parents back in charge. They\u2019re the ones that love our children. They\u2019re the ones that should be in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Trump and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon understand the fundamental truth that parents, not distant government bureaucrats, belong in the driver\u2019s seat of their children\u2019s education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the Trump administration\u2019s most consequential achievements is the nation\u2019s first Education Freedom Tax Credit <\/a>scholarship program, which takes effect in January. Americans who owe federal income taxes will be able to contribute up to $1,700 to an approved nonprofit scholarship-granting organization and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. Instead of sending those dollars to Washington with no say over how their money is spent, taxpayers can direct $1,700 toward changing the trajectory of a child\u2019s life. And it costs them nothing to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These scholarships can help cover private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, tutoring, books, transportation, and services for students with special needs. Most importantly, they will give families options beyond their residentially assigned district public school. With 30 states already opting into the program, millions of students will soon have greater access to an education that meets their unique needs and helps them reach their full potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With 30 states already opting into the Education Freedom Tax Credit, millions of students will soon have greater access to an education that meets their unique needs and helps them reach their full potential.<\/p>Keri D. Ingraham<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The Trump administration is also making tremendous progress toward returning education to the states. After\u00a045 years<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0$3 trillion<\/a>\u00a0spent on a massive federal education bureaucracy,\u00a07 in 10<\/a>\u00a0public school students are not proficient in reading or math. America cannot afford to continue pouring astronomical amounts of money into a failed system and expect different results. States must be freed to innovate, respond to the needs of their communities, and put student achievement ahead of bureaucracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Returning education authority to the states will also restore accountability. For too long, state leaders have pointed to federal mandates as the reason they could not pursue meaningful reforms or deliver better results. Removing those barriers eliminates that excuse. States will have greater freedom, but with that freedom comes the responsibility to produce results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under Secretary McMahon\u2019s leadership, the Department of Education has already reduced its workforce by\u00a0more than half<\/a>,\u00a0eliminated billions<\/a>\u00a0in wasteful spending, and entered into\u00a014 interagency agreements<\/a>\u00a0to place programs with agencies better equipped to administer them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n