Returning Education Power to Parents and States Is the Right Move

In 1868, the federal department of education was basically dismantled because of concerns that it would exert too much control over education, which is primarily a state and local function. 

Sound familiar?

Fast forward more than 150 years and the Federal Department of Education has become a behemoth that employs over 4,000 people and has a budget of around $238 Billion. What was established in 1979 to help states educate children better and improve the efficiency of education has become a centralized bureaucracy that has failed to increase outcomes, hindered innovation, and disregarded the voices of parents and students. 

Under President Trump’s proposals, however, we’re witnessing a shift in federal education policy that aims to return power to the states—and most importantly, to parents. His recent Executive Order prioritizing school choice and his promise to dismantle the Department of Education are potentially transformative steps to achieving greater freedom and flexibility for families and return control of education to parents.

Making the Department more efficient, effective, and competitive would more than please the modern father of school choice, Milton Friedman.

Friedman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, believed that the best way to improve education – and by extension society – was to empower parents with the freedom to make educational decisions based on what works best for their children, not the decisions dictated by Washington bureaucrats. In Friedman’s vision, funding would follow the student, enabling them to choose from a variety of learning environments—whether public, private, charter, homeschool, hybrid, or any other approach.

This idea seems to be at the heart of the President's education agenda. By giving parents the ability to choose the best education for their children and by returning control to states, we create a system that is more flexible, innovative, and accountable. For too long, many parents, particularly those in underserved communities, have been forced to accept subpar educational options because of their zip code. School choice offers an opportunity for parents to take control of their education.

Trump’s approach recognizes and understands the clear momentum behind school choice at the state level. Across the country, a parent-led revolution is taking place, with state legislatures enacting new school choice programs or expanding existing ones at a record pace. From New Hampshire to Arizona and Florida to Utah, lawmakers have created choice programs that allow all students to participate. American education is being reshaped as we know it. 

The success of school choice at the state level proves that when parents are given the power to choose, students benefit. Research shows that school choice leads to better educational outcomes for students in those programs, as well as for students in traditional public schools. Moreover, the growing diversity of families embracing school choice is one of the movement’s most encouraging aspects. School choice is no longer limited to the affluent or those in certain areas. It’s increasingly a tool for families across all socioeconomic backgrounds. Whether it’s a single mother looking for a better academic track or a child with special needs seeking personalized support, school choice is now providing millions of families with the flexibility to make decisions based on their unique circumstances.

A dismantled or streamlined U.S. Department of Education will not only empower parents with choice, it will dramatically reduce onerous federal regulations that often fail to account for the specific needs of local communities and students. By reducing the federal footprint in education, states will have the freedom to implement policies tailored to their populations. Greater local control will foster more innovation, flexibility, and responsiveness—qualities essential for a world-class education system.

If the experience of COVID taught us anything, it is that a top-down, one-size-fits-all system doesn’t work. Our scores are worse. The bureaucracy is a total mess and we are spending far too much money for too little in return. President Trump’s efforts to return education power to the states and empower parents is a bold and necessary step toward a more equitable, dynamic, and successful education system for all Americans. 

The future of education belongs to families—not distant bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.