WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Independent Women, which is dedicated to advancing policies that actually enhance opportunity and well-being, applauds the U.S. Department of Education’s guidance that gives states leverage to reform education standards according to the needs of their students and teachers, ensuring that each state can have access to the best education possible.
Neeraja Deshpande, Independent Women policy analyst, who previously taught middle school and high school math, English, and financial literacy, said:
“The Department of Education’s new guidance is commendable, and shows this administration’s commitment to American children. It not only supports school choice measures, as it has in the past; it also ensures that failing schools will be held to account and will be made to use the taxpayer funds they receive to improve themselves. This is a pro-public school and pro-school choice guidance that will ultimately make students around the country better off, especially the most disadvantaged students in the worst schools.”
This guidance seeks to hold schools accountable to improve education achievement by expanding school choice options, granting funds for schools to create and execute improvement plans, and requiring states to offer alternatives for students in dangerous schools.
Independent Women has been on the front lines of the fight for school choice and improved education standards across the country. On May 1, 2025, Independent Women released a report titled “Give Teachers a Break: Cutting Red Tape to Unleash the Potential of America’s Great Teachers.” The report discusses:
- Why the nation is losing its most effective teachers;
- How misguided policies—not educators—are sabotaging student success; and
- Practical, commonsense reforms to restore order, trust, and excellence in our classrooms.
Read the full report here.
More from Independent Women on the U.S. Department of Education:
- For better schools, ditch the Department of Education
- A failing Nation’s Report Card proves need for sweeping change
- Why Linda McMahon will excel as Secretary of Education
- During Miguel Cardona’s Tenure As Ed Secretary, Schools Got Worse By Every Metric
- President Trump Is Wasting No Time Reforming K-12 Education
- Conservatives are playing offense with K-12 education
- A ‘Sputnik Moment’ for America’s Schools
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