Washington, Aug 2026 : US President Donald Trump on Monday highlighted his administration’s efforts to expand school choice and give parents greater control over their children’s education, describing the measures as the largest expansion of education freedom in American history.
Speaking at a back-to-school event attended by students, parents and educators in the White House Rose Garden, Trump said his administration was working to shift authority over education away from the federal government in Washington and place greater responsibility in the hands of states, local communities and families.
“We want every parent to have the power to send their child to a high-quality school that shares their values,” Trump said, underscoring his administration’s emphasis on parental choice in education.
Trump pointed to the Education Freedom Tax Credit, created under the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which he signed into law on July 4, 2025. The programme provides a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for contributions made to non-profit organisations that provide scholarships for education-related expenses.
The scholarships can be used to cover tuition, books and other basic educational costs at public, private and religious elementary and secondary schools. Trump described the initiative as “the largest ever expansion of school choice” in the country.
The President also highlighted changes to 529 education savings accounts, which allow families to save money for educational expenses. Under the legislation, the annual withdrawal limit for kindergarten through Grade 12 expenses was doubled to $20,000. The accounts can also now be used for private, religious and home-school education.
“For the first time ever, families can also have their 529 accounts to support homeschool education,” Trump said.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the Education Freedom Tax Credit could benefit more than 50 million eligible children. She argued that parents, rather than the federal government, should have the primary authority to determine the educational path of their children.
“Children belong to their parents, not the federal government,” McMahon said, adding that the new tax credit would give families greater freedom to select educational options suited to their children’s needs.
McMahon also announced that six states had received the first “returning education to state” waivers, which she said would free more than $100 million from federal controls. According to her, another 25 states were using existing legal authority to reduce federal requirements affecting thousands of school districts.
She said the changes were designed to move important educational decisions away from federal bureaucrats and closer to teachers, parents and local leaders.
Trump also used the event to reiterate his criticism of education policies implemented by the previous administration. He claimed his administration had ended programmes dealing with critical race theory and transgender issues in schools and had restored parents to a central role in educational decision-making.
“We’re putting the parents back in charge,” Trump said, arguing that parents know their children best and should have the final say over their education.
The President also highlighted the experience of Caleb and Jocelyn Griffith, a North Carolina couple raising three biological children and two foster children. One of their children has autism, while another has developmental delays. Caleb Griffith said the family had faced difficulties obtaining the educational support their children required.
He said the new tax-credit programme could help families access specialised services and educational resources during important developmental years.
Trump has made reducing the federal government’s role in education a major policy objective of his administration. He said an executive order signed last year had already initiated what he described as the process of eliminating the federal Department of Education and transferring greater authority to states and local communities.
The administration says its approach will increase parental choice, reduce federal intervention and encourage greater flexibility in how schools and families address students’ educational needs. Critics, however, have continued to debate the potential impact of expanding private and religious school options and reducing federal oversight of education.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
