School Choice Clips for Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Title I Funds for School Choice and More!
Center Square: Dan McCaleb: U.S. Ed Department: States Can Use Some Title I Funds on Choice Programs
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_4b403ea5-2911-4bfb-ae04-3e91efd3c64e.html
The U.S. Department of Education on Monday advised states on how they can use Title I dollars for educational choice initiatives back home.
In a letter from the department's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education to all chief state school officers, the Trump administration said states can use up to 3% of their Title I funding to "provide greater choice for parents and improve academic outcomes."
Through Title I, the federal government funds school with large percentages of students from low-income families.
The U.S. spends about $18 billion on Title I, according to the American Federation for Children, 3% of which is about $500 million.
“The Trump Administration is bringing about a golden age of American education, and Secretary McMahon’s Department of Education moving to unlock up to $500 million for school choice for families is another exciting step," Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children, said. "President Trump will be the School Choice President, by moving education decision making to the states and local districts, adding flexibility to existing funding, and bringing school choice to every state when he signs the Educational Choice for Children Act into law. We look forward to all of this incredible progress this year and the revolution in American education that will follow.”
National:
Washington Examiner: Elaine Mallon: Trump Administration Promotes School Choice with New Title I Guidance
The Trump administration issued a guidance letter encouraging states to use up to 3% of Title I funding to promote school choice for students. School choice proponent Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children, shared how crucial he believes it is for more Title I funding to be made available to parents as they cultivate their children’s education. “The Trump Administration is bringing about a golden age of American education, and Secretary McMahon’s Department of Education moving to unlock up to $500 million for school choice for families is another exciting step,” Schultz told the Washington Examiner. “President Trump will be the School Choice President, by moving education decision making to the states and local districts, adding flexibility to existing funding, and bringing school choice to every state when he signs the Educational Choice for Children Act into law.”
Washington Times: Sean Salai: Federal Tax Credit Could Steer $10 Billion to Private School Scholarships
Nonprofit agencies that give private-school scholarships to low-income families say they expect Congress to pass tax credit legislation handing them $10 billion for another 2 million students. The Educational Choice for Children Act would allow taxpayers to deduct up to 10% of their adjusted gross income and corporations up to 5% of taxable income as donations to private K-12 scholarship funds. It builds on policies in 21 states, including Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona, allowing similar deductions on state tax returns.
Forbes: Michael McShane: New School Models Embrace Smaller Size
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemcshane/2025/04/02/new-school-models-embrace-smaller-size/
It is tough to understate just how central a role scale has played in education reform. Starting more than a century ago, reformers looked to scale up schools, inventing institutions like the comprehensive high school to centralize student populations and broaden the offerings available to them. In this century, movements towards statewide teacher evaluation systems or even nationwide educational standards were massive in scale. Scale has been a part of the school choice movement as well. For a time, if a promising charter or private school model came onto the scene, the first question they were asked was “can you scale up?” A school was not truly seen as successful unless it could open 5, 10, or 20 campuses. The tide has turned.
EducationNC: Mebane Rush: A Trio of Letters from the U.S. Department of Education Further Shape Trump-McMahon Education Policy
On Monday, March 31, 2025, another “Dear Colleague” letter was sent to state chiefs outlining how state education departments, school districts, and schools can use federal funding to provide student services to families, according to this press release. This letter was from DOE’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and signed by Hayley Sanon, the principal deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary. It is the first of a series of documents providing guidance on how the department and the administration seek to expand school choice. This one focuses on Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
Heartlander: Adam Wittenberg: Fearmongering And Falsehoods Over Education Dept. Shutdown
The school choice train is steaming ahead nationwide, and even blue states aren’t untouched. School choice has touched all but eight states this year, a review by The Lion found, including three states that have approved it so far, 15 that already have broad school choice programs and another 24 that saw bills introduced in their state legislatures.
Mishpacha: Yosef Herz: Will the ECCA School Choice Bill Be the Promised Lifeline for Families Drowning in Tuition?
https://mishpacha.com/extra-credit-2/
A proposed federal bill, if passed, would enable parents to receive taxpayer-funded scholarships to pay for tuition costs, the newest development in the ongoing national school choice effort. And for Orthodox families, for whom school choice isn’t just about accountability, productive competition, or academic outcomes, but a financial lifeline, the bill’s passage could be a vital step in transforming the tuition landscape.
Texas Insider Report: Stephen Moore: Who Knew? Red States Are Eager to Fix Education
https://texasinsider.org/articles/red-states-are-eager-to-fix-education
Speaking of government incompetence, Washington has added no value to our schools after spending more than $1 trillion on K-12 education. Trump wisely wants to send the federal dollars directly back to the states and the red state governors are ready to go. Iowa, which has been a leader in education reform under Governor Kim Reynolds, is asking for its federal aid to be consolidated into a single block grant with few federal strings attached. Reynolds says block grants would "give states the flexibility to stretch federal dollars further, rather than following the dictates of distant federal bureaucrats who don't have the same visibility into our state's needs." Last week, Oklahoma submitted a similar request, asking for permission to use its grant money to allow parents private school and charter school options. As many as a dozen other right-leaning states are planning to submit their own requests.
