Federal

Trump Returns to the White House. What’s in Store for Schools?

By Brooke Schultz — January 17, 2025 5 min read
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Aug. 8, 2023, at Windham High School in Windham, N.H.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

President Donald Trump will return to the White House on Monday, and, though education accounted for only a sliver of his campaign platform, the Republican could use his second term to attempt far-reaching policy changes that would reshape the landscape for K-12 schools.

Trump—who in his first term unsuccessfully sought hefty cuts to federal school funding, proposed a private school tax-credit scholarship program, and pitched a merger of the education and labor departments—will take office with a laundry list of campaign promises he vowed to tackle on his first day back. Those early actions could affect schools—even though K-12 schools are predominantly overseen and funded by state and local governments.

But whether Trump prioritizes education, and what actually makes it from the campaign trail to the White House, remains to be seen, said Jeff Henig, professor emeritus of political science and education at Columbia University, Teachers College.

See Also

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos listens at left as President Donald Trump speaks during a round table discussion at Saint Andrew Catholic School on March 3, 2017, in Orlando, Fla.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos listens at left as President Donald Trump speaks during a round table discussion at Saint Andrew Catholic School on March 3, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. The education policies Trump pursued in his first term offer clues for what a second Trump term would look like for K-12 schools.
Alex Brandon/AP

“I think he’s going to lean toward doing a few things that he can do quickly,” Henig said. “Ideally, things that he can do without having to fight a political battle in Congress or without any risk of running into judicial limitations on national involvement in the traditional state and local arena.”

Trump has floated hundreds of Day 1 promises, some that include schools

Trump repeatedly promised action around transgender students and Title IX on the campaign trail. In one rally, he said President Joe Biden’s attempt to expand the regulation to protect students from discrimination based on gender identity would be terminated on Day 1 (a federal judge in Kentucky beat him to it; the new regulation was struck down earlier this month).

He also promised to cut federal funding to any schools “pushing Critical Race Theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”

Slashing funding would not be a slam dunk through just an executive order, though he could still pursue actions targeting transgender students or limiting what the office for civil rights asks about in future surveys for its biennial civil rights data collection. The data collection focuses on racial disparities in academic offerings, discipline, and more, and for the first time in the 2021-22 school year, asked schools whether they enrolled any nonbinary students.

See Also

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Can Trump Force Schools to Change Their Curricula?
Alyson Klein, November 14, 2024
9 min read

Those are avenues Trump could pursue where he may not have to fight hard, and are political wins for him, Henig said.

But there are issues not directly dealing with schools that could end up having a significant ripple effect on students, such as the president’s vow to crack down on immigration and launch a massive deportation effort beginning Day 1.

“There’s a real difference between what we call education policy and what will really make a difference in schools and communities,” Henig said. “I think what’s really going to make a difference in schools and communities, in many instances, is what this immigration reform agenda looks like in practice.”

Educators have worried that could mean overturning a Department of Homeland Security policy designating schools, bus stops, churches, child care centers, after-school programs, and some other spots as “protected areas” where immigration agents are discouraged from carrying out raids and making arrests.

Others fear his administration will take aim at the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision that protects the right to free, public education for undocumented students.

The possibilities have already sparked some city and school leaders to begin thinking about what to do if officers arrive at their doors.

See Also

A know-your-rights flyer rests on a table while immigration activist, Laura Mendoza, speaks to the Associated Press' reporter at The Resurrection Project offices in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on June 19, 2019. From Los Angeles to Atlanta, advocates and attorneys have brought civil rights workshops to schools, churches, storefronts and consulates, tailoring their efforts on what to do if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers show up at home or on the road.
A know-your-rights flyer rests on a table while immigration activist, Laura Mendoza, speaks to the Associated Press' reporter at The Resurrection Project offices in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on June 19, 2019. Immigration advocates advise schools to inform families about their legal rights as uncertainty remains over how far-reaching immigration enforcement will go under a second Trump administration.
Amr Alfiky/AP
Federal Can Immigration Agents Make Arrests and Carry Out Raids at Schools?
Ileana Najarro, December 11, 2024
9 min read

Sweeping education reform is not a priority, but schools could still be affected

Education watchers predict that a second Trump term will be a reprise, in some ways, of his first: downsizing the role of—or entirely eliminating—the U.S. Department of Education, slashing federal school funding, and expanding school choice at the federal level. Many of his efforts were dashed during his first term, though they could circle back around now with internal skeptics largely out of the way, mostly loyal Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, and a favorable U.S. Supreme Court.

Though Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, a 900-page policy agenda drafted by the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation that outlines various changes aimed at scaling back the federal role in education, he has selected several of its contributors for positions in his administration.

But sweeping education reform has not been much of a priority for the last decade, either during Trump’s first term or President Joe Biden’s four years. The topic was absent in the only presidential debate, and Trump’s education-related comments in the campaign were broad and fiery, rather than particular policy proposals. The Biden administration never carved out a robust K-12 policy agenda, despite sending a staggering amount of funding to the nation’s schools—including funds that came from legislation Trump signed in his first term.

“I think his administration is going to be much more aggressive,” Henig said. “I draw a distinction again between what he’s willing to do on K-12 education per se, and what he’s going to be doing as part of his broader social agenda. Education just has fewer payoffs for him and is more protected by Congress and others who want to continue to fund education initiatives.”

See Also

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during “The Impact: Our Fight for Public Education” event at the Department of Education’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during “The Impact: Our Fight for Public Education” event at the Department of Education’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025. The event served as the capstone to Cardona's four years as education secretary under President Joe Biden.
Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
Federal As Biden Leaves Office, What Will His Education Legacy Be?
Brooke Schultz, January 15, 2025
12 min read

Other federal agencies and Cabinet positions—including the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees vaccines and immunization recommendations, and the Agriculture Department, which oversees the national school lunch program—could ultimately be relevant to schools’ day-to-day operations, too.

For the long haul, Trump’s pick for education secretary, Linda McMahon, will set the tone of the department and its priorities. The nation’s two largest teachers’ unions have telegraphed their concerns for what these choices could mean for public schools, but American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said previously McMahon’s interest in career and technical education and literacy was promising.

“We’re in a wait and see mode,” she said in a November, post-election interview. “But our value, our line, our test is: Are you going to help or are you going to impede the work of educators helping children learn? Are you going to be about children, families, and communities? That’s our line.”

Events

School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Top House Lawmaker Supports Trump's Bid to 'Depower' Education Department
The House education committee chairman believes "even the best-meaning bureaucrat" can't understand what's happening in local schools.
5 min read
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks during an event at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks at the U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai. Walberg, the newly minted chair of the U.S. House's education and workforce committee, said at a Tuesday event that he wouldn't stand in the way of President Donald Trump's efforts to diminish or close the U.S. Department of Education.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Federal Title IX, School Choice, ‘Indoctrination’—How Trump Took on Schools in Week 2
It was a week in which the newly inaugurated president began wholeheartedly to act on his agenda for schools.
8 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump's second week in the White House featured his first direct foray into policymaking aimed directly at schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Then & Now Why Can't We Leave No Child Left Behind ... Behind?
The law and its contours are stuck in our collective memory. What does that say about how we understand K-12 policy?
6 min read
Collage image of former President G.W. Bush signing NCLB bill.
Liz Yap/Education Week and Canva
Federal What's in Trump's New Executive Orders on Indoctrination and School Choice
The White House has no authority over curriculum, and no ability to unilaterally pull back federal dollars, but Trump is toeing the line.
9 min read
President Donald Trump signs a document in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs a document in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP