Editorial by Jessica Marie Baumgartner |
President Donald Trump campaigned on supporting parental rights and returning educational authority back to the states.
On March 20, he made good on that promise. He signed an executive order instructing U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of closing the federal Department of Education.
Current educational services, programs, and benefits are to remain undisturbed during this shift in leadership, and so the closure of the federal arm of the public education system will take time, but Secretary McMahon assured American parents that improving education is the main goal of this endeavor.
Her statement on the executive order to dismantle the federal Department of Education celebrated the measure, meant to “to free future generations of American students and forge opportunities for their success.”
“Education is fundamentally a state responsibility. Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities,” she stated.
McMahon then clarified, “Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs. We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.”
Since receiving the order to start the transfer of power, the Department of Education has revoked taxpayer funding that supports illegal alien programs at colleges in California and Oregon, instructed states on how to expand school choice options, and also advised school districts to comply with Parental Rights Laws.
In addition, the Supreme Court sided with President Trump’s decision to revoke funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) teacher training grants within the Department of Education.
According to the Heritage Foundation, DEI training programs have been associated with “emotional manipulation,” which overly focuses on identity politics instead of providing lessons rooted in factual information.
Eliminating these programs and giving education back to families and the communities that support them are massive wins for the integrity of educational rights. It will also help restructure the failing public school system to improve achievement results.
As education reform moves forward, we all win. The educational bureaucracy has done nothing for students. Despite spending billions of taxpayer dollars on federally overseen government schools, American students ranked 34th in the latest International Comparisons of Student Achievement Assessment conducted by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Parents are ready to get core class lessons back on track. While controversial LGBTQ+ lessons have seeped into public school material, the majority of parents oppose this. According to the 2024 Pew Research Center poll on parents’ views of learning about LGBTQ issues in school, 54% of parents believed they should be allowed to opt out of such lessons.
2024 was a big year for conservatives and people fleeing the broken education system. Homeschooling has continued to rise in popularity, and according to the PEW Research Center, 83 percent of homeschooling families stated that concern about the school environment was the driving force behind their decision to home educate. If taxpayer-funded schools are driving parents away with questionable lessons, then they are not fulfilling their duties.
In addition, the majority of Americans support school choice. The American Federation for Children found that in 2024, school choice support increased to 71 percent overall support from American voters. 66 percent of Democrats are in favor of school choice, while 69 percent of Independents and 80 percent of Republicans back freedom of education policies.
Most Americans agree that education is important. Ending the education bureaucracy cuts federal government waste and puts parents, teachers, and schools back in charge of educational outcomes. And as we all know, being able to meet each student’s individualized needs breeds success. Without “streamlined” factorized lessons, parents and teachers will be able to help customize lesson plans for the students in their specific classrooms.
The education system is changing as we breathe. The more we take control of our localized school efforts, the more successful we become. That is why so many of us support shutting down the federal Department of Education and celebrate these bold efforts.
Photo: Adobe Stock
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