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Articles by Jon Valant
A snapshot of America’s schools: Trends and global comparisons
America is not pleased with its schools. A Gallup poll conducted in August 2026 found that only 8% of adults are “completely satisfied” and 24% are “somewhat satisfied” with the quality of K-12 education in the U.S. today. That combined total of 32% is the lowest level of satisfaction that Gallup has measured in nearly three decades of annual polling on this question. It represents a precipitous drop since the onset of COVID-19—a drop now evident among both Democrats and Republicans.
‘Title I for rich kids’ and other predictions for the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
On Oct. 1, the Treasury Department released its proposed regulations for the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC). That marks the informal kickoff of a high-stakes period of decisionmaking for state leaders who have not decided whether their states will participate in the program. The FSTC is a new funding mechanism that diverts federal tax dollars to families to pay for private school tuition or other eligible educational expenses.
Who is likely to benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit?
By Jan. 1, leaders of all 50 states and the District of Columbia must decide whether to opt into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) for calendar year 2027.1 The FSTC is a new mechanism for providing families with scholarships (or vouchers) using diverted federal tax dollars.
Chapter 2: Youth, parent, and teacher perspectives on intellectual humility
Intellectual humility is a rich subject of academic research and discussion. It engages psychologists, philosophers, and education researchers, filling pages of scholarly journals and animating debates at academic seminars. But discussions of intellectual humility should not be confined to these arenas. Intellectual humility is not an esoteric or inaccessible idea. It’s about the universal experience of being wrong and how we respond to our fallibility.
Chapter 1: Developing intellectual humility in middle and high school students
No one knows everything, and everyone is wrong sometimes. This is a reality of being human. However, appreciating that reality and the opportunities for learning and growth that it affords does not come easily. Admitting the limits of what we know, staying open to being wrong, and taking seriously the possibility that someone else has a better answer are not, for all of us, natural instincts. Intellectual humility, as researchers call it, is a virtue that requires cultivation.
Local control, national conflict: School boards in the COVID-19 and culture war era
Discussion and conclusion America’s schools, like its politics, have changed since the onset of COVID-19. Conflicts over pandemic-related issues such as school reopenings, mask mandates, and vaccination requirements gave way to culture-war battles involving race, gender, and sexuality.
Chapter 1: Media reporting on school board conflicts
In the early 2020s, America’s local school boards found themselves in the spotlight. The COVID-19 pandemic forced education leaders to make high-stakes decisions on school closures, remote learning, and safety protocols. Those decisions sparked controversy that, in many places, played out in school board meeting rooms. Media reporting offered a helpful look into these meetings.
Chapter 2: School board members’ views of the COVID-19 and culture-war era
No one is better equipped to recount what happened to America’s school boards during the COVID-19 and culture-war era than board members themselves. From late 2024 to early 2025, we surveyed school board members across the country. The survey covered a wide range of issues, from board members’ backgrounds and campaign experiences to their top priorities while serving on the board.
Chapter 3: A case study of school board elections in Florida
As seen in Chapter 1, the declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency in March 2020 brought local education policymaking and school boards into national headlines. In Chapter 2, we heard from school board members who reported sharp increases in conflicts they experienced with their communities and fellow board members.
Rahm Emanuel: Both parties are failing American students
Culture wars have distracted America’s K-12 system at the expense of students, says former U.S. Ambassador and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. On this episode of The Current, Emanuel sits down with Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy, to diagnose what went wrong and how some schools are trying to get it right. EMANUEL: Democrats in my view, by abandoning standards and accountability, have abandoned our kids and our teachers.
Rahm Emanuel: Both parties are failing American students
Culture wars have distracted America’s K-12 system at the expense of students, says former U.S. Ambassador and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. On this episode of The Current, Emanuel sits down with Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy, to diagnose what went wrong and how some schools are trying to get it right. EMANUEL: Democrats in my view, by abandoning standards and accountability, have abandoned our kids and our teachers.
Helping low-income families access WIC and free early childhood education
Even if we don’t know it by name, we’re all familiar with administrative burden. We know it for its annoyances and frustrations. It’s the requirement to go to the DMV to provide your cable bill in person—and then come back again when they say you need the February bill, not the January bill. It’s the impossible-to-understand tax deduction that leaves you wondering who thought income tax returns were a good idea in the first place.
Brown Center scholars reflect on education after 1 year of the Trump administration
January 20, 2026, marks the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s second presidential inauguration. Here, scholars from the Brown Center on Education Policy reflect on the year that passed and consider what might lie ahead from this administration. Within the first two weeks of his second term, President Trump issued three executive orders ending diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the government and in schools.
Comment on the OBBBA tax-credit scholarship program
Editor's note: The author submitted a comment letter on Dec. 26, 2025, in response to a request for comments from the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (Notice 2025-70). The comments were submitted in the author’s personal capacity and not on behalf of the Brookings Institution or its affiliates. The comment letter is available here.
Universal school choice programs mostly benefit the wealthy unless policymakers act to prevent it
Editor's note: Analisa Pines worked on this analysis during her time as an intern at the Brookings Institution. This has been an eventful decade for K-12 politics and policy, to put it mildly. Yet, it’s hard to know what will have an enduring impact. Maybe we’ll look back at this as the beginning of the end for the U.S. Department of Education. Maybe we’ll come to see this as the splintering of blue state and red state education policy. Maybe it’ll be all about AI reaching classrooms.
The OBBBA's tax-credit scholarship program is a mess that might be worth opting into anyway
After some eleventh-hour twists and turns, Congress ultimately included a tax-credit scholarship program in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). I outlined my concerns about earlier drafts of the bill (then called ECCA)—again and again and again—on this blog. In short, Congress sought to impose a 50-state, voucher-like program with hardly any quality control mechanisms or protections against discrimination and waste.
The risks of universal private school choice programs
Editor's note: On Tuesday, June 26, Jon Valant participated as a witness in a U.S. Senate spotlight forum on school vouchers. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) led the hearing and was joined by Sens. Durbin (D-Ill.), Hassan (D-N.H.), Kaine (D-Va.), Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Van Hollen (D-Md.). The text of Valant’s opening remarks appears below. Full video of the hearing is available at this link.
The Educational Choice for Children Act’s open invitation for waste, fraud, and abuse
The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) continues to move, quietly, towards becoming one of America’s costliest, most significant federal education programs. Now part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ECCA would create a federal tax-credit scholarship program that’s unprecedented in scope and scale. It has flown under the radar, though, and remains confusing to many observers.
The Educational Choice for Children Act opens the door to waste, fraud, and abuse
The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) continues to move, quietly, towards becoming one of America’s costliest, most significant federal education programs. Now part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ECCA would create a federal tax-credit scholarship program that’s unprecedented in scope and scale. It has flown under the radar, though, and remains confusing to many observers.
How a federal tax-credit scholarship plan would benefit the wealthy and underserve rural America
Private school choice programs have garnered plenty of attention lately. Most of the policy action has been at the state level, where about a dozen Republican-led states have built education savings account programs (ESAs) that offer public funds to nearly all families to pay for their children’s private schooling.
How the Educational Choice for Children Act would benefit the wealthy and underserve rural America
Editor's note: This piece was originally published under the title “How a federal tax-credit scholarship plan would benefit the wealthy and underserve rural America.” The title has been updated to identify the specific legislation discussed: the Educational Choice for Children Act. Private school choice programs have garnered plenty of attention lately.
A conversation with former Education Secretary Miguel Cardona about COVID-19 and schools
Editor's note: This blog is part of a Brown Center series, “COVID-19 and education: Five years later,” in which Brookings experts and external contributors reflect on the impacts of COVID-19 on students, schools, and education policy. As part of a series that looks back at five years since the onset of COVID-19—and looks ahead to the challenges that remain—the Brown Center on Education Policy had the opportunity to speak with Miguel Cardona.
Brown Center scholars reflect on how the pandemic reshaped US education
Editor's note: This article is part of the “COVID-19 and education: Five years later” series in which Brown Center experts and external contributors reflect on the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing impact on education policy, politics, and practice. March 2025 marked five years since the U.S. declared a national emergency concerning COVID-19 on March 13, 2020.
Brookings scholars analyze Trump’s order to dismantle the Department of Education
Home Brookings scholars analyze Trump’s order to dismantle the Department of Education Editor's note: This is part of the “Why we have and need a US Department of Education” series, which seeks to examine the role of the U.S. Department of Education at a time when the president of the United States has called for the Department’s demise. It considers what the Department does to shape education policy and practice in the United States.
What does the US Department of Education do?
Editor's note: This is part of the “Why we have and need a US Department of Education” series which seeks to examine the role of the U.S. Department of Education at a time when the president of the United States has called for the Department’s demise. It considers what the Department does to shape education policy and practice in the United States. It also addresses misconceptions about the Department’s role and the president’s authority to dismantle it.
FAQs: The US Department of Education and the Trump administration
Editor's note: This is part of the “Why we have and need a US Department of Education” series which seeks to examine the role of the U.S. Department of Education at a time when the president of the United States has called for the Department’s demise. It considers what the Department does to shape education policy and practice in the United States. It also addresses misconceptions about the Department’s role and the president’s authority to dismantle it.
What Brookings education scholars will be watching on Election Day
As we come to the end of another brutal campaign season, most Americans’ attention remains fixed on the U.S. presidential election. We in the Brown Center have watched with interest as education topics have entered the Harris-Trump race, from Kamala Harris selecting a former teacher as her running mate to Donald Trump continuing to talk about dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.
Does my vote really matter?
Voter turnout rates for voters 18 to 29 have been trending up, younger voters continue to have the lowest turnout of all age groups. Younger voters offer many explanations for not participating in elections–they are rigged, politicians don’t follow through on promises, voting itself is confusing or difficult to assess, and ultimately, their vote doesn’t matter.
Moving from a ‘parents’ bill of rights’ to a cross-partisan policy agenda to better support parents
For those who thought K-12 education would be sidelined from this year’s presidential race, we’ve gotten a couple of twists. One twist is a proposal to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education emerging as a campaign issue. Republicans have floated the idea over the years, but it captured the public’s attention—and concern—when it became the focal point of a Project 2025 chapter. Another twist is Kamala Harris’ selection of Tim Walz as her running mate.
Democrats and Republicans on K-12 education: A comparison
Editor's note: This article is part of “Party platforms unpacked,” a series that compares the differences between the two major American political parties on important issues of the day. K-12 education has captured its share of headlines over the last few years. Schools—and, specifically, local school boards—became a lightning rod for anger about the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project 2025 and education: A lot of bad ideas, some more actionable than others
Project 2025 outlines a radical policy agenda that would dramatically reshape the federal government. The report was spearheaded by the right-wing Heritage Foundation and represents the policy aims of a large coalition of conservative activists. While former President Trump has attempted to distance himself from Project 2025, many of the report’s authors worked in the previous Trump administration and could return for a second round.
Be wary of what you read in the school voucher debate
In May, we released a short Brookings report showing which families are most likely to get voucher funding through Arizona’s now-universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. The analysis isn’t complicated, and the results couldn’t be much clearer. A highly disproportionate share of Arizona’s ESA recipients come from the state’s wealthiest and most educated areas.
The Effects of Unified School Enrollment Systems on School Demographics and Outcomes: Evidence From New Orleans’ Transition to a Centralized School Lottery - Jane Arnold Lincove, Jon Valant, 2024
Get full access to this article View all access and purchase options for this article. References Abdulkadiroğlu A., Agarwal N., Pathak P. A. (2017). The welfare effects of coordinated assignment: Evidence from the New York City high school match. American Economic Review, 107(12), 3635–3689. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20151425 Abdulkadiroğlu A., Andersson T. (2022). School choice (NBER Working Paper No. 29822). National Bureau of Economic Research. Abdulkadiroğlu A., Che Y. K., Pathak P. A., Roth A.
Arizona’s “universal” education savings account program has become a handout to the wealthy
Amid a wave of legislation that created or expanded private-school choice programs across the country, Robert Enlow, the President/CEO of EdChoice, dubbed 2023 as “the year of universal choice.” Enlow wasn’t wrong. Universal eligibility is the defining trend in recent private school choice reforms. For decades, private-school choice programs (like vouchers) provided funds only to certain families—e.g., families with low household income or a child with a disability.
What Brookings scholars hope to hear in President Biden's 2024 State of the Union address
President Joe Biden, who begins his campaign for reelection well behind former President Donald Trump, needs a well-crafted State of the Union address, clearly enunciated and forcefully delivered, to invigorate his base and expand his appeal. The speech must include, at a minimum, a defense of his record, compelling proposals for a second term, and a clear statement of what is at stake in the 2024 election. As in most sports, a successful strategy combines a strong offense with a strong defense.
How did school board candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty perform in 2023?
Founded only three years ago, Moms for Liberty (M4L) has become a well-known, polarizing organization in U.S. education politics. The group emerged amid heated political disagreements over school re-openings and mask mandates and established itself as a central figure in ongoing battles over how race and racism, gender, and sexuality are taught in schools. M4L has focused most of its attention on local school boards.
Moms for Liberty: Where are they, and are they winning?
Moms for Liberty (M4L), a conservative “parents’ rights” organization, has emerged as a visible player in U.S. education politics. Since its founding in 2021, M4L has engaged in local school board politics and elections across the country. Along the way, M4L has attracted plenty of headlines. Most jarringly, an Indiana chapter of M4L was in the news after featuring an Adolf Hitler quote in its newsletter this past June.
Transportation Inequities and School Choice: How Car, Public Transit, and School Bus Access Affect Families’ Options
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The Biden administration’s updated school discipline guidelines fail to meet the moment
Since President Biden’s inauguration, the education policy community has anticipated the release of updated school discipline guidance. These federal guidelines have been a hot-button issue through the last three presidential administrations. In 2014, the Obama administration issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that included detailed and practical guidance for protecting students’ civil rights against racial discrimination in school discipline.
Brown Center on Education Policy
Survey: Principals say they need better-trained teachers and more resources to address student misbehavior Survey: Principals say they need better-trained teachers and more resources to address student misbehavior
What Brown Center scholars will be watching in education policy and politics in 2023
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From the continued response to pandemic disruptions to culture war issues that have surfaced in schools, 2022 was an eventful year for U.S. schools and education policy. That looks to be true for 2023 as well. Below, experts from the Brown Center on Education Policy identify the education stories that they’ll be following in 2023, providing analysis on how these issues could shape the learning landscape for the next 12 months—and possibly well into the future.
By Daphna Bassok, Michael Hansen, Douglas N. Harris, Katharine Meyer, Rachel Perera, Jon Valant, Kenneth Wong Verified
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Brookings Institution
Do school districts allocate more resources to economically disadvantaged students?
In the 1930s, Harold D. Lasswell, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, published a book that set out to explain how individuals and groups secure political power and, in turn, the resources that accompany that power. In the decades since, Lasswell’s book titled, “Politics: Who Gets What, When, How,” has become a shorthand definition for politics itself.
The future of charter schools in the United States
Twitter Join the conversation on Twitter using #FutureOfCharters About 3.4 million students attend charter schools in the United States. With public funding and oversight, these independently run schools have long sparked debate about how they affect students and what their place should be in the U.S. education landscape. Today, the charter sector is confronting questions about its short-term and long-term futures.
The fraught connection between state and school
Schools are increasingly unable to serve their original purpose of creating a shared civic community. What does this mean for their relationship to the state? The nation state and the public school grew up together during the 19th century, with each enabling the development of the other.
What if Americans Sour on Public Education? | RealClearEducation
What if Americans Sour on Public Education? Amidst increasing political polarization and culture wars that have invaded the classroom, how has American public opinion on the status of the nation's public schools shifted? Read Full Article »
What if Americans sour on public education?
This has been quite a time for U.S. public schools, from pandemic-induced shutdowns to clashes across the country over one issue after the next. In this context, it’s fair to wonder—and maybe worry about—how Americans’ attitudes toward public education might be changing. Last week, Education Next released its 16th-annual survey of public opinion. A nice feature of the EdNext poll is that it repeats some items year after year, which provides a glimpse of trends in what Americans think.
What can we expect from the January 6 committee hearings?
As the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its first public hearings in nearly a year, Norm Eisen lays out what Americans can expect from the proceedings and the committee’s objectives over the coming months.
The California primary-what happened to the revolution?
Ever since Sen. Bernie Sanders burst on to the national scene six years ago with the statement that “we need a political revolution,” conventional wisdom has maintained the rise of a new progressive base in the Democratic Party. Although Sanders’ two presidential campaigns failed, his movement picked up some seats in Congress and seemed to keep the revolution going. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Ortiz (D-N.Y.) became the charismatic and youthful alternative to the elderly Sanders.
Dems Should Engage in Education Politics So Kids Don't Have To
Seven months ago, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in a closely watched gubernatorial race in Virginia.
Democrats should engage in education politics so kids don’t have to Original
Seven months ago, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in a closely watched gubernatorial race in Virginia.
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