As the nation gathers turns its attention to Washington, D.C. this week to say goodbye to President Barack Obama and welcome in a new administration, many are intently focused on what will surely be a tough task of restoring the quality of education in this country — a task on which not only the future of the economy, but also national security, depends.
As we prepare for the inauguration of President-elect Trump, many are apprehensive about what a Trump Administration will mean for K-12 education.
School Choice
While on the campaign trail, then-candidate Trump promised $20B to broaden school choice. Both President-elect Donald Trump’s education secretary pick, Betsy DeVos, and Vice President Mike Pence have a history of supporting school choice efforts. But not everyone is supportive of the proposal. Officials in California, in particular, are strongly opposed to the proposals, with representatives on both sides of the aisle likely to come out against it.
Catch up on our recent coverage of where the next president stands on school choice:
Trump promises $20B to states promoting school choice
Californians poised to oppose Trump's $20B voucher plan
Penn State professor, PhD candidate warn about cyber charters
Common Core
One of very few education items important enough for Trump to address on his campaign website was the need to abolish Common Core standards. Often lost in this conversation, however, is the fact that there was never a set of federal standards enforced from the top, but rather a state-driven effort to standardize math and reading curricula. Some states might replace the Common Core, emboldened by the new president’s hatred for them. But looking to other states that have done the same thing, replacement standards are often remarkably similar.
Some of our previous examinations on the topic:
