President Trump's 10-point education agenda calls for federal action to change public schools -- but also calls for "sending all education back to the states," where his priorities are likely to be ignored.
The once and future president wants to "respect parents' right to control their children's education" and to provide school choice for those who want alternatives. A federal education tax credit is the most likely avenue, though it's not a sure thing he could get it through Congress.
But many of his agenda points centralize more power in the federal government: Schools would "prepare students to love their country and not hate it like they’re trained [to do] now"and avoid "political indoctrination" in favor of teaching academics.
They'd offer project-based learning, internships and work experiences to prepare students for the adult world, says Trump.
Trump also pledges to "empower parents and local school boards to hire and reward great principals and teachers and fire those who perform below par." It's not clear what that means. What would the federal government change?
The Obama and Biden administrations used Office of Civil Rights investigations of "disparate impact" to change schools' discipline policies, making it hard for them to suspend or expel students. Trump plans to turn that around. "We will achieve safe, secure, and drug-free schools with immediate expulsion for any student who harms a teacher or another student."
Trump also said, "We will support bringing back prayer to our schools." Perhaps the feds will beef up testing: That always inspires silent prayer.
By the way, Betsy DeVos says she's open to discussion on returning as secretary of Education. Not likely, I'd say, but she does know where the bodies are bured.
I see two possible openings for a Constitutionally-authorized Federal role in the education industry: (1) specification of requirements for Fedeal employment and (2) the National Bureau of standards might give to itself the power to define standards of literacy and numeracy.
Also, a really determined President might apply the 13th Amendment to the K-12 credential industry.
Compulsory unpaid labor is slavery. Slavery is evil. In the US today, fifty million children will work, unpaid, as window-dressing in the massive make-work program for dues-paying members of the NEA/AFT/AFSCME cartel that Washington Post Education writers and many other speakers of American English call "public education".
Secretary DeVos should recommend someone who can help send education back to the States, in line with our Tenth Amendment; the rest of this agenda can be advocated for via the bully pulpit of the federal administration, while states and, especially, their local education agencies see to enacting their priorities, to the extent they see fit.
Does anyone think that a Trump Administration will be serious about improving academic education at the K-12 level when the Ryan Walters could be the Secretary of Education. Of course, no one is going to point out that Walters is State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Oklahoma that ranks 47th on reading NAEP scores.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/prek-12/naep-reading-scores
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4984397-oklahoma-ryan-walters-trump-education-changes/
Elisabeth DeVos respects federalism (subsidiarity, many local policy regimes). Donald Trump is ideologically unmoored. The Federal government exercises legitimate control over three K-12 school systems: the BIE schools, the DOD schools, and the US Embassy schools. The Federal government exerts indirect influence on local school policy through employment qualifications on applicants for Federal employment.
A. Give tribes control over the BIE schools.
B. Mandate that DOD schools open an online campus that:
Admits anyone who applies
Defines courses by their syllabi
Conducts no classes
Employs no faculty
Grants credit by exam
Licenses independent agencies to administer course final exams at a fee to be negotiated between the student and the examiner.
C. Stand back and let the NEA/AFT/AFSCME cartel's part-time…