(Image source from: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
During Donald Trump's first term as president, several specific policies had a major impact on the U.S. education system. With Trump back in power for a second term, the Republican Party is once again poised to implement its ideology and policies in higher education. Trump's choice as education secretary makes his future plans for the department clear. He didn't particularly focus on higher education during his freshman year. But the choice of the new education minister may determine the government's focus on the sector in its second term. President Trump's first executive actions will likely include a reduction or reversal of policies developed during the Biden administration. That means he can directly control student loans and Title IX aid. The Biden administration had introduced additional protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law enacted as part of the Education Reform Act of 1972. This law protects individuals from discrimination based on sex in education and applies to all entities that receive federal financial assistance, including state and local educational agencies. Title IX states: “No person in the United States shall be excluded from participation in, or discriminated against in, any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance on the basis of sex,” the Biden administration says. Implements the largest student loan package in history and plans to soon defend in court a new income-based repayment program that lacks Republican support. Trump also promised during his campaign to abolish the Department of Education. The Department of Education's primary responsibilities include managing the federal education budget, which will be approximately $238 billion in 2024, representing approximately 14% of total U.S. education spending. It manages federal student loans, civil rights enforcement and education data collection. The department's closure plan could cut federal funding for schools, raise questions about civil rights enforcement and reshape education across the country.
Trump also plans to cut funding for schools that oppose his policies. On his first day in office, Trump repeatedly mentioned cutting money to "instill critical race theory, trans bigotry, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content into our children in every school." On the campaign trail, Trump said he "wouldn't give a dime" to schools requiring vaccinations or masks. During Trump's first term, he tried to give federal tax breaks to private schools. However, the scholarship was never accepted. His administration may try to reintroduce a bill in the US House of Representatives to initiate such a plan. Trump may also support the creation of a federal parental rights charter that would allow groups like Moms for Freedom, which want to keep books about race and gender identity out of schools, and provide public access to the curriculum.
During his campaign, Trump expressed his desire to create a new university: the American Academy, a free online university that would compete with existing colleges and offer bachelor's degrees recognized by all government agencies and federal contractors. The new agency would be “completely apolitical,” “free of insurgency and jihadism,” and funded by another Trump proposal: expanding college scholarship taxation.
