Everything You Need to Know About Donald Trump’s New Education Expert, Dr. Ben Carson

Donald Trump made an announcement during Thursday evening’s CNN debate that not only did he gain the support of his former opponent, Dr. Ben Carson, but he also mentioned that Carson would play a key role in education as an advisor. Trump stated, "I’m going to have Ben very involved with education, something he’s an expert in." had an in-depth conversation with Dr. Carson last November regarding schools, standards, and the rewrite of No Child Left Behind.

Dr. Ben Carson strongly supports school choice, stating, "We are failing a large number of students in underprivileged areas due to the schools they are assigned to based on their ZIP codes." Carson, who is currently leading in several polls for the Republican presidential nomination, believes that school choice is the solution to this problem and many others within the K-12 education system. During an interview with Editor-in-Chief, Campbell Brown, Carson repeatedly expressed that homeschooling provides the best education, followed by private schools, charter schools, and finally public schools. He believes that in order to change this hierarchy, real competition needs to be introduced to public schools.

If elected president, Carson plans to encourage states to implement new school choice programs, specifically voucher programs that would allow parents to use tax dollars to pay for private school tuition. He compared this incentive program to the controversial Race to the Top program initiated by the Obama administration, which many conservatives argue was an illegal push for the adoption of the Common Core State Standards. Carson intends to use existing funds to motivate states to adopt these programs.

Currently, there is a federal grant program aimed at aiding the expansion and replication of high-performing charter schools. While some states lack charter school laws and few offer private school choice programs, there are ongoing debates in Washington regarding whether and where federal money should follow children. The opinions on this matter are largely divided along party lines.

Similar to other conservative Republicans, Carson believes that the federal government should not be responsible for ensuring school accountability. Despite civil rights groups arguing that federal oversight is crucial for maintaining school quality as a civil rights issue, Carson firmly believes that school choice is the solution. He argues that when local control and choice are present, the problem takes care of itself as families will naturally gravitate towards schools where their children receive a good education.

Carson plans to start school choice programs with low-income families and aims to eventually make them available to all children. However, he does not have a solution for schools, including those in higher-income neighborhoods, that are not performing well. He acknowledges that resources dictate what can be done in these situations.

To ensure sufficient funding for education, Carson believes that eliminating policies that hinder capital investments and new business ventures is essential. He argues that with increased income, the country will have the ability to implement widespread school choice programs. Like other Republicans in this campaign cycle, Carson opposes the Common Core and hopes it will eventually disappear. He dismisses the idea that a national move towards higher standards is necessary after standards were lowered in response to No Child Left Behind.

When asked about the specifics of the No Child Left Behind rewrite being debated in Congress, Carson provided a vague response, stating that he wants to ensure that no child is left behind but is unsure if nationalization is the solution. Despite advocating for local control, Carson believes that property taxes are not the appropriate way to fund schools. In 2014, he suggested redistributing school funding across the country to ensure equity, but he has since clarified that he was specifically referring to funding for economically disadvantaged students.

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