Education Policy, Business and Technology

Trump Education Adviser Wants 'Robust Portfolio of Options' For K-12 Students

Education Week: Jason Botel, a top adviser to President Donald Trump on education issues, sees school choice as a vehicle for furthering educational equity for all students. And he thinks a new pilot program in the Every Student Succeeds Act could help districts expand those student choices.

"We need to build more robust portfolio of school options," said Botel in a speech Wednesday to the National Parent Teacher Association's legislative conference. The White House and the U.S. Department of Education are working together, Botel, said, "on the best ways to ensure that all students have the resources they need, as some choose to attend public schools, some choose to attend public charter, public magnet schools, and some choose private schools, online learning."

Botel didn't say this specifically, but a federal tax credit scholarship program—like the one created in a bill introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., seems to be one likely route for furthering choice.

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