by Danielle Trevino, director of communications
Education decisions matter most when they empower families—not just today, but over time. Across the country, governors have advanced education policies that center on family decision-making and expand access to learning options statewide.
For a number of governors now serving their final year in office, education freedom will be a defining feature of their legacy, shaping real outcomes for families and kids for years to come.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey
Alabama’s CHOOSE Act established statewide access to education choice, creating a durable framework that empowers families to direct resources toward learning environments that fit their children.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Florida’s education choice framework is widely regarded as the most comprehensive in the country, combining scale, stability, and universal access—and setting a national benchmark for family-centered education policy.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds
Iowa paired statewide education access with a longer-term strategy focused on sustainability, including building and electing leadership aligned with education freedom.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt
Oklahoma’s refundable education tax credit has become a national blueprint, demonstrating how broad access and family flexibility can scale effectively within existing state structures.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee
Tennessee’s education choice program has seen strong application rates in its first year, signaling clear family demand and reinforcing that when access is available, families engage.
What matters now is that these policies endure. Education freedom at this scale resets expectations—for families, for future governors, and for policymakers. It establishes a baseline where access is assumed, not negotiated, and where families are trusted to make decisions that fit their children.
As new leaders step into office in 2027, they won’t be starting from scratch. They’ll inherit education landscapes already shaped by family-centered policy—where choice is part of how education works. That’s how leadership becomes legacy: not through a single moment, but through structures that continue empowering families, year after year.
This piece is part of a broader effort to elevate education options and family empowerment during the national January conversation on education freedom.
