WASHINGTON, DC – On the occasion of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress, the Center for Education Reform (CER) offers the following priorities for the President to reconfirm to Congress and the American people.
“At a moment when the nation is preparing to mark 250 years of self-government, it is essential that the President — and leaders at every level — champion policies that expand educational opportunity and strengthen civic understanding,” said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen.
“Education freedom, flexibility, and civic responsibility go hand in hand. Transforming American education means ensuring students have access to learning environments that meet their individual needs while preparing them to understand our founding principles, exercise their rights wisely, and sustain the institutions of a free society. This is not about preserving a system — it is about advancing transformational education delivered in the many ways families and communities choose to educate their children.”
To that end, CER urges the following:
FREEDOM & NATIONAL SECURITY
President Trump should reaffirm his commitment to education policies that prioritize families and students over risk-averse bureaucracies and a complacent status quo that has failed too many communities — a failure made plain year after year by the Nation’s Report Card.
He should continue to advance education opportunity: making multiple innovative school options available for students, including models such as the one represented in the First Lady’s box tonight – Alpha School, one of an emerging group of high-quality 21st-century learning opportunities, but only available to all students in states that allow funds to follow families. The President should use the bully pulpit to motivate States that do not yet offer these opportunities to create them — and states that do to expand them.
The President should also affirm support for military families by enabling them to take their education dollars with them from state to state and to any school, ensuring stability and continuity in their children’s education. Their sacrifices are integral to our nation’s security, and their children’s educational needs must be effectively met wherever they are stationed.
FLEXIBILITY
For decades, states and districts have raised concerns about onerous federal reporting and oversight requirements that stifle innovation and slow progress. Restoring greater authority to state and local leaders ensures that those closest to students are best positioned to meet their needs.
The President should rightly boast about his education agenda and his leadership’s continued support for state authority and flexibility, while ensuring that top-down regulations inhibiting state-level innovation are moved aside. That includes providing clearer guidance for using federal dollars with greater flexibility — from teacher programs to assessments, charter schools, and the delivery of equitable services for students with special needs.
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
As the nation approaches the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, civic understanding must once again become central to education. Civics education should serve as a core component of a comprehensive American education — equipping students with the knowledge, judgment, and habits necessary for informed engagement and active participation in our democracy.
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The CER leadership team is available to offer insight, analysis, and commentary on a number of topics expected to be discussed in President Trump’s State of the Union Address. Please contact Jonathan Oglesby at [email protected].