States lead the way in education innovation
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States are laboratories of democracy, and many have tested school choice and proved that it works. In Florida, greater educational freedom through the Tax Credit Scholarship program has knocked down barriers to opportunity for minority students. In Arizona, educational savings accounts have transformed the lives of thousands of special needs kids and will now be extended to nearly all students. And in Indiana, the Choice Scholarship program has enabled more than 34,000 students this year alone to attend the right school for them. By giving states more freedom to pursue innovative solutions and boosting school choice programs, we can discover even better ways to serve our nation’s students.
To make this a reality, we must empower families to select the ideal school for their kids. But we must encourage states to empower educators to innovate and create classroom solutions tailored to their students’ individual needs.
By expanding educational freedom and putting parents, teachers and local communities back in control of our nation’s schooling, we can move our system away from a test-heavy one-size-fits-all approach to a vibrant array of options that inspire a love of learning for students throughout the country. We’re encouraged by the national conversation on educational freedom.
David Barnes, policy director Generation Opportunity Arlington, Va.
MILLENNIALS ON THE BUDGET
President Trump’s budget proposals generally do:
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Our followers shared their thoughts on President Trump’s proposed budget plan.
Winners: the super rich 1%. Losers: everyone else. @sgroendyk
Americans are the winners, and the future generations that won’t get stuck with our debt. It took a businessman to balance our budget! @kenfriend55
This budget is the latest hustle from the Trump administration. The cuts are heartless, careless and dangerous to our children and elderly. @Iceguy75
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Who wins under President Trump’s proposed budget? Trump and the top 1%. Who loses? The rest of us. This is the beginning of all that “winning” Trump promised. I can tell you, if the president’s budget goes through, we’ll all be tired of all the “winning.” Lisa Parker
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, you continue to fail at representing American public educational values. Trump’s school choice proposal is just tax breaks for parents of children in private schools that — if passed by Congress — could channel public dollars toward private schools. Bad! Jeannie Presler
The way to improve public education is competition, that’s the American way — not by flushing money down the Department of Education toilets.
Democratic pols can afford private schools for their children, yet deny vouchers that would help the middle class to do the same. Warren White
My tax dollars should fund only public schools. If you want your kid to go to private school, pay for it. Brigitte Walsh Riggs
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