Policy Priorities
Increasing Education Opportunities
Increasing Early Literacy
Creating Greater Student Outcomes
Improving Spending on Education
For American families and students today, education provides a pathway to the realization of their aspirations and a realization of their dignity. Right now, public education achieves neither end. The key to a better education system, one that serves both America and Americans, is advancing policies that puts American families first, including choice. That’s exactly what the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is here to achieve. AFPI will formulate educational policies that provide educational opportunity for all American families. This means putting parents and students—not bureaucracies, unions, or politicians—in charge of the education of America’s next generation. AFPI aims to restore our system of public education to its original, legitimate purpose: educating and raising the next generation of Americans, facilitating their dreams—and our prosperity.
AFPI aims to restore our system of public education to its original, legitimate purpose: educating and raising the next generation of Americans, facilitating their dreams, and our prosperity. Providing a high-quality education with opportunities that benefit every student will create greater outcomes for our next generation.
Team
Latest
Issue Brief
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April 21, 2026
Getting DEI out of IDEA: End Racial Quotas in Special Education
In November 2025, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) turned 50 years old. It provides states and school districts with $15.4 billion per year and requires schools to identify and address the needs of students with disabilities (Dragoo, 2026). In 2004, Congress reauthorized IDEA recognizing a concern that Black students were being identified with disabilities at higher rates than White students. Congress therefore required states to collect data from school districts to determine whether there is a “significant disproportionality” by race in special education identification or discipline (20 U.S.C. § 1418(d)).
Statement
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April 17, 2026
AFPI-GA Calls for the Return of Education Authority to the States
The America First Policy Institute’s Georgia Chapter (AFPI-GA) issued the following statement as the House Rules Committee blocked House Resolution 1789 from moving forward, which would support the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education and the return of education authority to the states.
Statement
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April 16, 2026
Education Freedom Expands in Tennessee
Today, Erika Donalds, chair of Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), issued the following statement on the passage of Tennessee Senate Bill 2247 and House Bill 2532 which nearly doubles the number of Education Freedom Scholarships available to families across the state.
Statement
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April 15, 2026
AFPI Celebrates Wins in the WFTC on Tax Day
On Tax Day 2026, American families and workers are experiencing the impact of President Trump’s the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (WFTC). Signed into law on July 4, 2025, this historic legislation is delivering wins for working families, small businesses, parents, seniors and farmers across the Nation. AFPI commends President Trump and America First leaders in Congress for putting more money back in the hands of hardworking Americans.
Op-Ed
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April 14, 2026
Minnesota Parents, We’re About to Lose Out on $800 Million for Our Children
On July 4, 2025, Congress passed, on a bipartisan vote, a package of reconciliations, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Included in the bill was a provision that created the Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), which funds elementary and secondary education programs.
Topics
28
issues
Videos
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How Mississippi Beat the Odds: Gov. Tate Reeves on Literacy Reform and the School Choice Revolution
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America First Roundtable: Breaking the Education Cartel
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AFPI Celebrates National School Choice Week
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AFPI Welcomes Erika Donalds as Chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and Chair of the AFPI-Florida State Chapter
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National School Choice Week 2024: The Education Freedom Revolution
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Combating Fentanyl in Schools
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