As we start the new school year, the White House, together with President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, are making a decisive shift in American education: away from the political indoctrination of the Biden-Harris administration and toward academic fundamentals, parental authority, and local control.
That same family-first approach has already produced the first-ever savings and investment accounts for American children, with dedicated Fostering the Future Accounts that give foster youth the same long-term financial footing as their peers.
On Monday, the Commander in Chief welcomed students, parents, and education advocates to the Rose Garden to celebrate the beginning of a new academic year and to showcase an administration that has moved quickly to expand educational freedom, restore parental rights, return power to the states, and put American students first.
“We’re putting the parents back in charge,” Trump said at the Rose Garden event. “They’re the ones that love our children. They’re the ones that should be in charge.”
Beyond the core K-12 reforms, the administration has aggressively advanced parallel efforts in higher education. It reached settlements and agreements with several major universities, including Columbia, Brown, Penn, and Northwestern.
These agreements require an end to certain DEI practices, the restoration of merit-based admissions and hiring, and stronger Title IX compliance on sports and facilities. At the same time, executive actions reestablished the 1776 Commission and promoted the restoration of patriotic education.
Beyond the university settlements and the revival of the 1776 Commission, the administration has also moved aggressively to expand educational freedom for families. At the center of these efforts is the Working Families Tax Cuts, which created the first-ever nationwide school choice program.
The Education Freedom Tax Credit offers taxpayers a credit of up to $1,700 for donations that fund scholarships covering tuition, books, and other educational costs at private and public schools. Nearly 52 million students are eligible, and more than 30 states have already opted in or signaled their intent to participate.
Some Republican states already offer their own scholarship programs, and this federal credit is designed to build on and expand those existing efforts.
The administration has also delivered the largest investment in charter schools in history, $500 million through the Charter Schools Program, to expand high-quality options.
President Trump further directed federal agencies to maximize school choice by enabling states to use Title I funds and other flexibilities in support of parental decision-making.
Supporting Every Child
First Lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative expands support and educational opportunities for children leaving foster care. It does so through scholarships at a growing network of 26 universities, recently expanded by a $2 million donation supporting Indiana University and Purdue University.
The initiative also includes Fostering the Future Accounts, the first dedicated savings and investment accounts for foster youth, which are powered by the broader Trump Accounts program.
Eligible children born between 2025 and 2028 receive a one-time $1,000 contribution from the federal government, invested in low-cost U.S. stock index funds that grow tax-deferred. Families, employers, and others can contribute up to $5,000 more each year. State agencies can open these accounts for youth in their care, with access granted at age 18.
Additional elements include housing assistance via HUD’s Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence program, bolstered by $30 million in appropriations, and a global coalition of first spouses focused on education and technology. These efforts offer pathways to independence, skills, higher education, financial security, and the American Dream.
Separately, the administration launched a Title IX investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District in May 2026. The probe targets policies that allegedly reassign rather than remove teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students.
In February 2026, the administration also issued updated guidance strengthening protections for constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public schools. These steps reinforce every student’s constitutional rights.
Returning Education to the States
President Trump has directed the Secretary of Education to dismantle the bloated federal bureaucracy and return authority to states and local communities after decades of centralized control that failed to deliver results.
At the Rose Garden event, McMahon emphasizedthe stakes, saying: “What a travesty it is that Americans have invested $3 trillion in a federal Department of Education meant to improve student outcomes, and yet only 30% of our students can read or do math proficiently.”
The administration approved the nation’s first “Returning Education to the States” waivers. Iowa received the first waiver in early 2026, consolidating funding streams and freeing nearly $8 million from compliance costs for classroom use over four years. Louisiana followed, consolidating more than $18 million through 2029.
By summer 2026, six states held the waivers, redirecting over $100 million away from federal requirements. A record number of states also gained Ed-Flex authority, allowing local districts to bypass certain rules without prior federal approval.
The Department of Education has also awarded a record number of grants focused on advancing literacy, expanding access to credentialed school psychologists, emphasizing science-of-reading approaches, integrating AI in education, and demanding measurable academic results over ideology.
Ending Radical Gender Ideology and Restoring Parental Rights
President Trump signed Executive Order 14201 barring biological boys from girls’ sports and private spaces, prompting school systems and athletic associations nationwide to end the practice.
The Department of Education launched dozens of Title IX investigations into schools that allowed males in female sports and intimate facilities, enforcing biological reality and holding institutions accountable.
Separately, the administration cracked down on schools that socially transitioned students behind parents’ backs, rescinded unlawful Title IX guidance that punished districts for failing to use preferred pronouns, and reinforced parental rights under federal law, restoring fairness for female athletes, privacy for young women, and parents’ fundamental authority over their children’s education and upbringing.
Eliminating Waste, Fraud, and Divisive Indoctrination
The Trump administration terminated more than $2 billion in wasteful diversity, equity, and inclusion spending, shifting focus from dividing students by race and identity to uniting them around merit and excellence.
It ended $67 million in grants that funded sexually explicit material for minors, rejecting inappropriate and inaccurate ideological curricula with no place in classrooms. By enforcing immigration laws, the administration reduced the strain of non-English-speaking students on American public schools, allowing resources to prioritize American citizens.
Civil Rights Enforcement for Actual Discrimination
The Department of Education rescinded disparate-impact provisions from its Title VI regulations in 2026, requiring evidence of intentional discrimination rather than statistical disparities alone. New guidance directs schools to apply discipline even-handedly without considering race to achieve racial balancing.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights subsequently opened investigations into districts, including one in Fayetteville, Arkansas, that allegedly instructed staff to factor race into disciplinary decisions. Officials said the changes restore equal treatment and free teachers to maintain order without federal pressure based solely on demographic outcomes.
President Trump’s education agenda is clear and uncompromising. Educational freedom belongs to parents. Excellence belongs in the classroom. And America’s children deserve schools stripped of ideology, waste, and federal overreach.
