Statement by CER Founder & CEO Jeanne Allen on the President’s Executive Order on Federal Overreach in Education
WASHINGTON, DC – Center for Education Reform Founder & CEO Jeanne Allen issued the following statement on the President’s anticipated signing of an executive order to the Department of Education to review the federal government’s role in schools:
We applaud the Trump Administration for pushing forward on one of the four main points of CER’s recommendations for the First 100 Days: The path to going bold on education innovation & opportunity.
In it we clearly make the case for a major effort to “…review all federal regulations and the thousands of non-statutory guidelines that are, essentially, bureaucratic dictates that have accumulated over time…”
Conducting such a review is part and parcel of ensuring that education innovation and opportunity are able to take root throughout our various education sectors. The process will also allow the public to learn just how much oversight occurs as a result of bureaucracy, not law, and pave the way for all schools to focus on outcomes, not compliance.
The connection between freedom and excellence is no secret. Just today U.S. News & World Report revealed that schools permitted to exercise flexibility and choice – charter schools – are disproportionately represented among the top performing high schools in America.
While it doesn’t take a law or an order to dispose of non-regulatory guidance, it’s a big plus to have the weight of the Oval Office to overcome the inevitable bureaucratic pushback that will occur. We hope that this comprehensive effort will swiftly uncover all the habits, rules, and guidance created from Washington that obscure, stifle and discourage the freedom and flexibility schools need to succeed.
