President-elect Donald Trump is proposing dramatic changes in American education. It would “dissolve” or significantly reduce the authority of the Department of Education (DOE) and return control and funding of public schools to local communities.
President Trump's specific plans and selection for the secretary have not yet been announced, but Neil McCluskey, director of educational freedom at the Cato Institute, a liberal think tank, said President Trump's policy of shutting down the Department of Energy is It is likely that this will be implemented through a lump sum grant.
“Block grants are a little bit easier for people to understand because they cost money and they keep things going instead of suddenly disappearing from states and districts,” McCluskey said in an interview on Fox News Digital. “It just gives them more control over it.”
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U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC, USA. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“This is because the federal government distributes funds through various programs with all sorts of rules and regulations, so if the federal government were to consolidate and fund almost all K-12 schools, this would be “It's going to be a pretty big change,” he said.
McCluskey said the federal government's role in education has changed from funding to more direct control, especially with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015. He noted that some federal oversight has been rolled back due to backlash against federal mandates. Although ESSA reduced federal intervention, he believes funding pressures continue to influence the Washington government's ability to operate schools.
“I think the institutions of higher education, the Department of Education, have proven to be just bad administrators,” McCluskey said. “The failure of student aid organizations to simplify the FAFSA. It's ironic in a way that they're simplifying and simplifying a form that they couldn't handle.”
“I also think the program is really bad,” he added.
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President-elect Donald Trump has proposed dramatic changes in American education. (St. Petersburg)
McCluskey acknowledged the legitimate role of federal civil rights enforcement, but argued that it should be housed within the Department of Justice, not education. He warned against going too far, especially with the “Dear Colleague” letter from the Office of Civil Rights, which unilaterally changes policy without formally amending the law.
In 1979, Congress passed and President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act, creating the Department of Education, which began operations in May 1980 under the Carter Administration. Former President Ronald Reagan called for the department's closure in his 1982 State of the Union address.
McCluskey said the DOE began primarily as a political move to gain support from the National Education Association and initially focused on K-12 education and student aid funding.
Although its purpose was to equalize funding between low-income and high-income areas, its role expanded over time as concerns about educational quality and outcomes grew, especially after the Reagan administration. Now includes accountability measures.
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Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Rep. Byron Donald, Rep. Cade Brumley, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Tiffany Justice, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin could be a candidate for DOE director. (St. Petersburg)
This push for accountability led to the 1983 “A Nation at Risk” report and ultimately to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, which established the federal government as the primary promoter of standards- and test-based accountability. I positioned it.
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But backlash against centralized standardized testing like Common Core has led to a retreat from scrutiny, and the department's primary roles now include K-12 funding, federal student aid administration and civil rights enforcement, he said. said.
So far, Fox News Digital has interviewed former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Rep. Byron Donald, Rep. Cade Brumley, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Tiffany Justice, and Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walter. We know that Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is a possible candidate for DOE. role of secretary.
FOX News Digital has reached out to Trump-Vance's transition team for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Joshua Comins contributed to this report.
