Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families Executive Order #14191
POLICY UPDATE Background School choice originated in the South in the 1950s as a mechanism to preserve racial segregation in the education system. In order to defy the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that required public schools to racially integrate, states like Georgia and Alabama funded tuition grants for white students who could not otherwise afford to attend segregated private schools. In recent years, school choice has become a popular vehicle for educational opportunity in Black communities. A 2021 survey found that 75% of Black parents wanted the power to choose their child's public school. In fact, during the 2022-23 school year, Black charter school enrollment increased by 6%. On January 29, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to expand school choice programs by encouraging states to use federal funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives, including charter schools, private school scholarships, and education savings accounts (ESAs). While proponents of school choice argue that this executive order provides options to students in areas with failing public schools, it has negative implications for Black students and families. Unlike public schools, charter and private schools often operate with fewer regulations, leading to disparities in disciplinary outcomes and curriculum quality that disproportionately impact Black students. Additionally, increased federal funding for school choice programs often results in the allocation of fewer resources to traditional public schools, which serve the majority of Black students.
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