Former President Donald Trump – expected to become the next president of the United States – has proposed sweeping reforms to the country’s education systems.

Here’s a look at the areas of education his second term could impact:

Ministry of Education

Trump’s Agenda47 campaign proposed abolishing the Department of Education — which, according to the DOE website, “sets policies for, administers, and coordinates most federal assistance to education.”

Founded by President Jimmy Carter, the DOE provides programs such as Title I funding for low-performing or very poor elementary schools in need of support, as well as Pell Grants for students in high financial need.

During Trump’s first presidency, he proposed billions in cuts to the Department of Education budget.

In a campaign video, Trump said he wants states — not the federal government — to control schools.

However, he has also outlined plans to further limit content or classroom discussions in schools based on guidelines that would be implemented at the federal level.

Content Restrictions

Trump’s campaign has outlined a plan that includes prayer in public schools, an expansion of parental rights in education, patriotism at the center of education and an emphasis on the American Way of Life.

He has also called for the dismantling of diversity initiatives in education and for federal cuts to schools or programs that contain “critical race theories, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.” to limit these topics, and the efforts have been criticized for being vague and leading to “censorship” in schools and classrooms on topics related to race, gender and politics.

Similar policies and rhetoric against school content on race, gender, sex and more have coincided with the removal of more than 10,000 books from library shelves during the 2023-2024 school year, according to free speech advocacy group PEN America.

Trump has also suggested he would create a new certification body to certify teachers “who embrace patriotic values ​​and support the American way of life” and re-create his administration’s 1776 Commission to align the teachings of history with the ‘values’ of the founding of the United Nations. United States – although Agenda47 does not elaborate on what such values ​​are, or define the criteria for embracing the ‘American Way of Life’.

School choice

Trump also supports nationwide universal school choice programs, which allow a student’s allocation of public education funds to be transferred to non-public education options — including private schools or homeschooling.

This comes as voters in three states — Nebraska, Kentucky and Colorado — have rejected efforts to codify or expand this type of school choice.

Teacher salary and tenure

Trump’s Agenda47 also anticipates an end to teacher tenure laws. These laws are described by the United Federation of Teachers as state laws that prevent a school district from firing a tenured teacher without due process. Most states have property laws; However, according to the National Education Association, at least ten states have no or limited property laws.

He also said he will introduce a reward for teachers. Some research has shown that merit pay programs improve student outcomes, but critics argue that there is not enough evidence and that several factors influence student performance, including funding and resource inequality.

Higher education

Trump’s higher education agenda includes creating a new, free university called the “American Academy” and funding it by “taxing, fining and suing” private universities.