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So now it’s all done. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump pledged to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education, expand school choice, roll back new protections for LGBTQ students, and deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
Now that the former Republican president is headed to a second term, the question becomes how likely Trump is to act on his most extreme or implausible proposals and what effects students, teachers, and parents will see in the classroom.
Trump won a decisive victory, winning nearly every swing state and gaining ground among young voters and voters of color, who have been essential members of the Democratic coalition.
Advocates, experts, and former education department officials nationwide discussed what to expect from the next administration. They widely agreed that President Joe Biden’s Title IX rewrite, which extended new protections for transgender students and is currently in effect, will be repealed, that civil rights enforcement will look very different, and that future education budgets will be more austere.
However, they disagreed on how likely it is that Trump would abolish the U.S. Department of Education and how much progress he might make toward federal support for school choice.
A lot will depend on who controls Congress. Votes are still being counted in crucial races, but Republicans will control the Senate. Control of the House remains unclear and may not be known for days. A trifecta could clear the way for a broader Trump agenda.
If Democrats take control of the House, Trump would have to rely more on his executive authority. However, even on some key conservative priorities, Republicans are not unanimous, and some may balk at proposals they see as expanding the federal role or disadvantaging their constituents.
Whether he chooses an experienced administrator or a dedicated culture warrior, Trump’s education secretary choice will also shape his education agenda.
Calls to abolish the Department of Education have new momentum
Arguably, this has been Trump’s most consistent promise on education policy but also the one that seems most far-fetched to some political observers. Conservatives have talked about getting rid of the department for almost as long as it’s existed, and Trump didn’t make any moves to dismantle it in his first administration.
A congressional act would be required to dismantle the department fully. However, Trump could limit its reach by eliminating or moving programs, removing career bureaucrats, and proposing tighter budgets.
However, Jim Blew, who served in Trump’s education department in his first administration and went on to found the Defense of Freedom Institute, said Trump has been adamant about getting rid of the department, which alone gives the idea more “heft.”
Blew also believes public support for a federal role in education is changing. He said that many people don’t think the federal investment in COVID recovery yielded much. At the same time, people see initiatives such as student loan forgiveness and protections for transgender students as examples of federal overreach.
Blew said dismantling the department would take months because every function mandated by Congress would need a new home. But that could be done. For example, civil rights enforcement could move to the U.S. Department of Justice. Title I funding for high-poverty schools could become a block grant administered by the U.S. Department of Human Services.
Trump has been clear that his priorities are economic recovery, immigration, and national defense, Blew said, but that doesn’t mean he won’t follow through on education promises.
“It doesn’t need a lot of attention,” Blew said. “It needs political capital. And he can expend that while remaining focused on other priorities.”
Immigration enforcement could ripple through school communities
Trump made demonization of immigrants the centerpiece of his campaign, highlighting at every turn examples of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants or asylum seekers and the impact of immigration on American communities and schools.
Mike Petrilli, president of the conservative education advocacy organization The Fordham Institute, believes Trump’s education policies will not significantly affect American classrooms, but his immigration policies may have dramatic effects.
“It’s what he’s campaigned on, it’s what he’s promised to do, and he’d have a pretty free hand to do it,” said Petrilli, who has argued that American schools have a moral obligation as well as a legal one to educate all children who live here.
Even if enforcement is spotty, changes to federal policy can sow confusion and chaos in local communities, said Janelle Scott, a professor at the University of California Berkeley. She said that some families may keep children home from school out of fear. So now it may all begin.
This column is by Ritchie Lucas, Founder/CEO of the non-profit The Student Success Project. He can be reached by email at ritchie@studentsuccessproject.org and on Facebook as The Student Success Project.
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