Speaking to Congress for the very first time last Tuesday, President Donald Trump made sure to highlight school choice as the core of his policy in education. He called on the lawmakers to help the marginalized and disadvantaged families in his government's plan to change the system.
During the past presidential campaign, Trump divulged so little about his education policy. In his first speech to Congress, however, he validated that he's ready to push school choice.
"I am calling upon members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children," the president told the lawmakers, per The 74 Million. "These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them."
Like former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Trump cited education as "the civil rights issue of our time." One thing remains unclear, however, because as laudable as his declaration was, the president did not tell Congress where the funds will come from to support school choice, according to Chalkbeat.
In the September 2016 campaign trail, Trump proposed his government will spend $20 billion for school choice, as per Forbes. The president, however, did not mention this amount again in his recent speech.
Instead, Trump acknowledged a guest from the audience, Florida's Denisha Merriweather. The president said she struggled and failed in school more than once but Merriweather was still able to get into a private school by availing tax credit and scholarship.
In the Sunshine State, there is a scholarship tax credit program where corporate donors that provide scholarships to students receive tax credits. This might be what Trump wants lawmakers to pursue with education, according to MPR News.
Meanwhile, Trump made no mention of his plans for K-12 or Common Core. The bulk of his message to Congress on education was school choice. Learn more about it below.
