Erika Donalds, chair of education opportunity at America First Policy Institute (AFPI), says for one thing, President Donald Trump is the school choice president.
"He ran on expanding school choice for families in the United States," she remembers. "Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, the first-ever federal tax credit scholarship was passed, which allows donors to get a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for their donations to organizations that turn around and use that money for private school tuition, tutoring, homeschool expenses, dual enrollment, and other special services so that families have education options and enrichment opportunities for their children."
Recognizing that school choice critics say it undermines public education, and leaves fewer resources for the most vulnerable students, Donalds points out that the government has had a "monopoly in education" for the last 100 years, and it has not served American families.
"Only 1 in 3 students in America can read or do math on grade level," she notes. "However, where there is school choice in the form of charter schools, for example, students are outperforming their district counterparts because you have that free-market competition and accountability to parents who can move to a different school if they're not satisfied with their students' performance."
Donalds thinks America needs more free market "Americanism" in the education space to give greater innovation, access, and accountability.
To help promote the issue, AFPI encourages school choice advocates to make sure every governor opts in to the federal school choice program, to spread the word to donors that anyone who spends more than $1,700 in federal taxes can get a dollar-for-dollar reduction if they donate starting next January 1.
Lastly, parents need to know that in 2027, they will be able to apply for one of these scholarships.
National School Choice Week is designed to inform, inspire, and empower parents to discover the K-12 education options available for their children, and to generate widespread public awareness of the importance of opportunity in K-12 education.
