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What you need to know after Linda McMahon’s choice
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What you need to know after Linda McMahon’s choice

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President-elect Donald Trump has named Linda McMahon secretary of education, marking another Trump stalwart with an unconventional background as a potential Cabinet member.

Trump’s flagship plan for the Department of Education is to scrap it and return the functions to the states, although there is some doubt about whether he could accomplish that. But during his campaign he has also proposed a number of education initiatives, largely focused on culture war issues.

Trump’s proposed initiatives have ruffled some feathers in the education community. The National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the US, had endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the race.

“As educators, we are united in supporting every student – ​​Native, Asian, Black, Latino, newcomer, white, LGBTQ+ and disabled – who deserve high-quality, safe and welcoming public schools,” NEA President Becky Pringle said in a statement. after the election “And as educators, we will continue to remind him that the United States government and those elected have a responsibility to serve all people.”

Here were some of Trump’s education policies that he proposed during the campaign:

Agenda47 on education focused on ‘awake’ lessons, teacher term

Experts previously highlighted to USA TODAY how several of Trump’s Agenda47 education proposals focus largely on political issues that fuel the discourse, and less on education policy.

Trump outlined key initiatives for “great schools that lead to great jobs” in an Agenda47 post published in September 2023. The president-elect’s proposals include:

  • “Restoration of parental rights.” Trump proposes ending programs that “promote the concept of sex and gender transition,” asking Congress to pass a law that recognizes only two genders, effectively banning trans women from participating in sports, preventing teachers from teaching about transgender experiences, and education about the importance of the nuclear family.
  • Allowing parents to elect school officials and favoring school districts that abolish the teacher position.
  • Reducing federal funding for schools or programs that teach “Critical Race Theory,” “Gender Ideology,” or other lessons deemed “inappropriate.”
  • Only certifying teachers “who embrace patriotic values” through a new credentialing program.
  • Defend the fundamental right to pray in public schools.
  • Reform school discipline to deliver “swift, sure and strong” consequences for “troublemakers.” He also suggested supporting school districts with teachers carrying concealed weapons and hiring armed guards for schools.
  • Support universal school choice, giving parents the option to use public money for private or homeschooling.
  • Support project-based learning in the classroom
  • Funding preferences for schools that actively help students find internships
  • Financing preferences for schools with job and career advisor positions

The GOP’s Core 20 Promises also pledged to “reduce federal funding for any school that pushes critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”

The Trump-Vance transition team did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Project 2025 calls for splitting the Ministry of Education

Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, the blueprint for a conservative president created by the Heritage Foundation. However, many involved in the playbook’s creations have ties to Trump and his first administration.

Like Trump’s plan, Project 2025 calls for the end of the Department of Education. But it specifies that functions should be shifted to other federal agencies.

For example, it is proposed to move the role of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services to the Department of Justice and the Office of Civil Rights. The plan would also move the role of administering the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding to the Department of Health and Human Service’s Administration for Community Living, converting it to a “no-strings-attached block grant.” Project 2025 also calls for spinning off the Office of Federal Student Aid into its own government entity.

Concerns about the impact of the mandate led several people online to mistakenly believe that education for students with individualized education programs would disappear. But a USA TODAY fact check found these concerns are overblown. However, the Project 2025 plan could still impact students by changing funding and oversight mechanisms.

Trump has said he would eliminate the Department of Education, but he will face political challenges

Project 2025 is not the only thing calling for the end of the Ministry of Education. Trump has repeatedly said during his campaign that he plans to close the department.

“We will send education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will lead that effort,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday announcing McMahon as his chosen Secretary of Education.

Although K-12 education policy is largely handled at the state and local level, the Department of Education helps enforce federal laws by using compliance as a condition for funding. For example, these laws protect against issues such as discrimination. Federal funding makes up roughly one-tenth of public school funding, USA TODAY previously reported.

The department also plays a major role in ensuring students can afford college by overseeing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), Pell Grants, and the nation’s federal portfolio of nearly $2 trillion in student loans.

However, such a drastic step as closing the department would likely require congressional action and prompt Democrats to sign off on it, and a 60-vote threshold could be a major hurdle for the initiative.

Contributions: Zachary Schermele, Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Chris Mueller, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.