Trump’s Education Revolution: Returning Power to Parents and the States

Dan Proft, host of the morning drive show Chicago’s Morning Answer on AM 560 The Answer, interviewed Julie R. Hartman, Senior Advisor for the Office of Communications and Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. They discussed the federal education bureaucracy, declining student proficiency rates, school choice, and the new federal tax credit for education scholarships.

Hartman explains why President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon are working to dramatically scale back the federal education bureaucracy and return greater authority to states, local communities, and parents.

The conversation also addresses concerns about federal protections and funding for students with disabilities, the administration’s efforts to redirect funding away from DEI programs, and its push to restore merit, academic freedom, and accountability in higher education.

Hartman also discusses the new Education Freedom Tax Credit, which she describes as the largest national expansion of education freedom in U.S. history. While 30 states—including several led by Democratic governors—have opted into the program, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has expressed hesitation.