🏫 Education Evolution: Trump’s Vision

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TRENDING

Left: The Resistance Won’t Look the Same, but that's OK, Christina Cauterucci, Slate

Left: Trump Is Testing the Senate. Guess Who Will Win That One? Michael Tomasky, The New Republic

Left: Trump's Worst Cabinet Picks Part of a Bigger Power Grab, Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times

Right: How Far Will Trump Go To Install His Unqualified Cabinet? Philip Rotner, The Bulwark

Right: Hegseth Will Bring a Welcome Addition of Infantry Leadership, Kurt Schlichter, Townhall

Right: Can Trump End Ukraine’s ‘Endless War?’, Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness

EDUCATION

Education Evolution: Trump’s Vision

Today’s Top Story: President-elect Donald Trump reportedly plans drastic changes to the Department of Education (DOE) once he’s back in the White House, including possibly shuttering it entirely and leaving states to administrate education.

Reporting from the Left: Trump wants to end ‘wokeness’ in education. He has vowed to use federal money as leverage (AP)

Reporting from the Right: Trump would need congressional approval to dissolve Education Department, experts say (Fox News)

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Is This Possible?

The Top Argument From The Left: Could Trump Shut Down the Department of Education? Dana Goldstein, The New York Times: “The process would theoretically take 10 years, and could lead to vast decreases in funding for public education. Those budget cuts would disproportionately affect low-income children and those with disabilities since federal K-12 funding is largely targeted toward those groups. But any effort to close the department would have to go through Congress. Lawmakers would have to vote to disband the agency, a highly unlikely proposition, according to education experts in both parties. Republican members of Congress would most likely hear opposition from superintendents and other education leaders in their districts; schools in Republican regions rely on federal aid from the agency, just as schools in Democratic regions do. … It is certainly possible for a president to create funding incentives around specific education priorities. Still, less than 10 percent of K-12 school funding passes through the agency. A vast majority of the money comes from state and local taxes. And the department does not control local learning standards or reading lists. It does issue regulations on how civil rights laws apply to various groups of students… Mr. Trump will almost certainly try to reverse those regulations.”

Honorable Mention #1: If Trump Dismantles the Education Department, He’ll Regret It, Matthew Yglesias, Bloomberg

Honorable Mention #2: What happens if Trump eliminates the Department of Education, Ivana Saric, Axios

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

The Path Forward

The Top Argument From The Right: A Road Map for K-12 Policy in the Trump Administration, Washington Examiner, Washington Examiner: “Whoever becomes President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of education will face the heavy task of undoing the damage that four years of President Joe Biden has wrought on K-12 education. Trump was elected in no small part because he promised to address concerns that parents have with the regulatory agenda that Biden and the Democratic Party have imposed upon public and private schools alike. Instead of empowering students and families for success, the administration has sold them out to teachers unions and special interest groups keen on enacting an agenda of far-left culture wars. For the new Trump administration, maximizing parental rights and local control of education must be its lodestar. And with a mandate to govern, previous policy goals that once seemed far out of reach can and should be enacted. And that begins with school choice. With unified control of Congress, Trump and Republicans must wield the mandate that was delivered to them and finally enact a tax credit scholarship program to make school choice a reality in all 50 states. This program can be attached to the renewal of the Trump tax cuts and passed through budget reconciliation. There is absolutely no reason why a Republican trifecta cannot pass it into law.”

Honorable Mention #1: Potential Trump Education Secretary calls for DOE to be 'shut down': 'Put parents back in the driver's seat', Taylor Penley, Fox News

Honorable Mention #2: How Trump’s promise to abolish the Department of Education would work, Peter Cordi, Washington Examiner

FLAG THIS

Can He Succeed With His Team?

A report from the Education Data Initiative reveals that in 2024, public education spending in the U.S. falls short of funding and lags behind global benchmarks, with the following key figures:

• K-12 schools spend $857.2B annually or $17,280 per pupil, while receiving $878.2B in funding, leaving a gap of $21.0B or $420 per pupil.

• Federal funding accounts for 13.6% of K-12 public education, contributing $119.1B or $2,400 per student.

• State governments provide $383.9B or $7,740 per student, while local governments contribute $375.2B or $7,560 per student.

• Public K-12 expenditures equal 3.68% of taxpayer income and serve 49.6M students nationwide.

• Postsecondary schools spend significantly more, averaging $30,230 per student for 13.9M students.

43 DAYS TO GO

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WATERCOOLER

Gettysburg Address, Lookalike Craze, Rapid Bulking

On This Day in 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most memorable speeches in American history. In fewer than 275 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly reminded a war-weary public why the Union had to fight and win the Civil War.

BBC: Celeb lookalike craze is about more than good looks and bragging rights

Popular Science: Solar Panels Are Getting More Efficient, Thanks to Perovskite

Outside: Your Earbuds Are Filthy. Here’s How to Clean Them.

Today I Learned: Baby blue whales gain about 8 pounds an hour.

43 DAYS TO GO

If we get 1,000 paying subscribers by December 31, we’ll continue this newsletter in 2025. If we don’t, we will discontinue.

We are capitalists, so we will let the market (aka, YOU) decide whether or not this newsletter should live or die.

We have two options for you to choose from:

• $3/mo: You’ll get our Sunday newsletter too.

• $7/mo: You’ll get our Sunday newsletter and an ad-free experience.

The clock starts today. We have 43 days to reach 1,000 subscribers.