#school-choice

#school-choice

Robert Eitel is president of the Defense of Freedom Institute, a conservative think tank. Eitel previously served as senior counselor to the Secretary of Education from 2017 through 2020, during the first Trump administration, and as Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education from 2005 until 2009. Eitel has a background in for-profit education, serving past stints at for-profit college operators Bridgepoint Education Inc. and Career Education Corp.

Amidst the sleepless nights, hospital stays, medication dosing, and screaming into the pillow, I cared for the plant (and my son), thinking, in my delusion, that if Vasily were going to live, my son would, too. A revived Vasily stayed behind in New York City with a friend. "The friends we leave behind will stay our friends, and in new places we'll make new friends" I told my son at the time.

The U.S. News & World Report recently unveiled its 2025-26 Best U.S. High Schools rankings, shedding light on the top-performing schools across the nation. The rankings, based on data from over 24,000 public high schools, focus on various criteria like college readiness, state assessment proficiency, and graduation rates. The top 10 high schools in the U.S. are not predominantly located in the Northeast, with the first Northeastern school appearing at No. 25. Western and Southern states dominate the top-ranked schools, challenging the traditional view of the Northeast as the educational hub.

The poll comes as Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders expanding school choice options, encouraging the use of artificial intelligence in schools and returning educational control to the states by dismantling the Department of Education. But despite the Trump administration's insistence on dismantling the department, the majority of surveyed Americans opposed eliminating the department and believe it would have a negative impact on public education.

Giving parents the ability to choose the best education for their child makes the American Dream possible," said Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy.