President Donald Trump proclaimed January 25-31 as National School Choice Week, pledging to expand educational freedom nationwide.
The declaration comes as Trump seeks to reshape American education by dismantling federal oversight and championing parental rights. His agenda includes closing the Department of Education and eliminating diversity programs in schools.
Trump touted the “One Big Beautiful Bill” he signed last July, creating America’s first nationwide tax credit program for education. The law allows taxpayers to reduce their tax liability by contributing to scholarship organizations.
The bill also establishes “Trump Accounts” for newborns and expands 529 education savings accounts to cover K-12 expenses. Previously, these accounts only applied to college costs.
“No student should ever be trapped in a failing school, and parents deserve more choices, not fewer,” Trump stated in the proclamation. He emphasized that “the American people — not bureaucrats, politicians, or left-wing activists — have the God-given right to secure their own destiny.”
Trump criticized decades of federal education policy for producing “record-low reading and math scores and out-of-control Government spending.” He vowed to eliminate funding for schools permitting “discriminatory treatment and anti-American indoctrination.”
The President pledged to replace diversity, equity, and inclusion programs with “a system based on the fundamental principle of merit.” He promised to bring “common sense back to our classrooms.”
Trump praised states that have enacted universal school choice programs. He expressed eagerness to work with Congress and additional states to expand such initiatives nationwide.
Trump’s administration has directed the Education Department to prioritize school choice in grant programs while facilitating the agency’s closure.
The Texas Legislature has actively debated school choice, particularly private school vouchers or Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), for over a decade. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick stated that the Senate has passed school choice legislation six times since 2015, but each measure has failed in the House, despite high-priority pushes by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Last year, Texas lawmakers in both chambers passed a bill to fund an education savings account program that will support the launch of the nation’s largest universal school choice program, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.
