National School Choice Week, 2018

Vol. 83

Thursday,

No. 17

January 25, 2018

Part IV

The President

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Proclamation 9692--National School Choice Week, 2018

Proclamation 9693--To Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition
From Imports of Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells (Whether
or Not Partially or Fully Assembled Into Other Products) and for Other
Purposes

Proclamation 9694--To Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition
From Imports of Large Residential Washers

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 9692 of January 22, 2018

National School Choice Week, 2018

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

All American children deserve the opportunity to
achieve their dreams through hard work and personal
integrity. Our Nation's education policies must support
them on their journeys, recognizing the diverse career
goals and academic needs of students in communities
across our country. During National School Choice Week,
we honor those dedicated educators, administrators, and
State and local lawmakers, who promote student-focused
academic options for all families, as we increase
educational freedom for all Americans.

The United States is one of the most educated countries
in the world. Almost 90 percent of American adults
attain a high school diploma or GED. But our students
deserve more than just a paper diploma. Indeed, they
deserve access to an education that provides the tools
needed to succeed in our ever-evolving world. To
maintain our global leadership and strengthen our
modern economy, America's education system must prepare
students for the unforeseen challenges of the future.
Communities that provide academic options--traditional
public, public charter, private, magnet, parochial,
virtual, and homeschooling--empower parents and
guardians to select the best educational fit for their
children.

School choice helps alleviate common hindrances to
success and creates the space necessary for students'
aspirations to flourish. Families that participate in
school choice programs are not the only ones who
benefit from expanded educational options. Children in
traditional public schools benefit as well. In fact, 29
of the top 31 empirical studies on the topic find that
freedom of school choice improves the performance of
nearby public schools.

My Administration is refocusing education policy on
students. We are committed to empowering those most
affected by school choice decisions and best suited to
direct taxpayer resources, including States, local
school boards, and families. As part of my steadfast
commitment to invest in America's students, I signed
into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act last December. One
of the bill's provisions includes an expansion of 529
education savings plans so that their funds can be
allocated tax-free to K-12 public, private, and
religious educational expenses. By giving parents more
control over their children's education, we are making
strides toward a future of unprecedented educational
attainment and freedom of choice. Under the leadership
of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, we will continue
to advance school choice so that every child in America
has access to the tools best suited to enabling them to
achieve the American Dream.

During National School Choice Week, I encourage parents
to explore innovative educational alternatives, and I
challenge students to dream big and work hard for the
futures they deserve. I also urge State and Federal
lawmakers to embrace school choice and enact policies
that empower families and strengthen communities.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim January 21 to January
27, 2018, as National School Choice Week.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-second day of January, in the year of our Lord
two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
second.