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In just over eight months, the second Trump administration has made a rapid succession of political hires and policy decisions at the U.S. Department of Education that could bring major changes to how schools operate and how children learn.
A cadre of conservative activists, who have long advocated using tax dollars to expand private and religious education and home education, are in a position to push for that plan. Some of its policies are already undermining public schools, condemning them as unsuccessful and inconsistent with Christian values, a ProPublica investigation found.
In many communities, public schools serve as important hubs for community living, dining, socializing, counseling, and other services. More than 80% of students are enrolled in traditional public schools, which must serve all children, including children with disabilities. However, the government views public schools as monopolies that should be broken up.
Shortly after taking office, Education Secretary Linda McMahon asserted that “millions of American youth are being exposed to extremist anti-American ideology and trapped in schools where they fail.” She and others in the administration believe that progressive activists have led schools to focus too much on “woke” policies rather than rigorous academic standards.
Officials and spokespeople declined to speak with ProPublica.
Here are five ways McMahon’s Department of Education is making big changes in public schools.
These activists want to dismantle public schools. Currently, they run the education sector.
1. Encouraging people to leave the country
McMahon and President Donald Trump want to expand tax-funded school choice and give more families the financial means to leave public schools. President Trump urged Congress to pass and sign a new federal tax credit to help fund the first national school voucher program, scheduled to open to families on January 1, 2027. The Department of Education also encouraged school districts to spend a portion of their federal funds toward disadvantaged students, services from private providers, and children from low-income families who live within district boundaries and attend private schools.
Public school leaders say they have already seen students transfer to private and charter schools in recent years, and with that they have lost essential per-pupil funding. They worry that expanding vouchers will further damage their budgets and threaten their survival.
Mr. McMahon occasionally spoke positively about public schools, praising their progress in literacy, for example. But more often and more emphatically, she portrays them as well as her advisors as failures.
Lindsey Burke, an adviser to the Department of Education, comes from the Heritage Foundation and is a co-author of the education chapter of Project 2025, the Trump administration’s policy playbook. It calls for the creation of tax-funded education accounts to allow parents to customize their children’s schooling. Several years ago, Ms. Burke said she hoped one day “we will be amazed at the fact that we used to assign children to government-run schools, consigning our poorest students to schools that often failed and were sometimes unsafe.”
2. Reduction in federal funding
In a move that will affect public school students across the country, the department has cut hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for a variety of programs, including training and support for mental health professionals and new teachers. Further reductions are likely.
The administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 education budget calls for consolidating 18 existing grant programs, including funds for rural schools and homeless students, into a single $2 billion block grant to be distributed to states. That’s about $4.5 billion less than if the subsidy alone had remained in place. Overall, the Trump administration is proposing a 15% cut in federal spending on education in the 2026 budget. Congress has not yet passed a budget and the government is shut down.
3. Inject God into the classroom
Ministry officials have denounced what they see as liberal indoctrination in public schools, what one top leader described as “Marxist, anti-God, anti-family policies.” They are currently pursuing policies that align with conservative Christian values, such as opposing protections for transgender students and restricting materials about sexuality. The department notified schools earlier this year that it would comply with President Trump’s executive order defining “the two genders, male and female.”
Mr. McMahon has appointed Meg Kilgannon, who advocates for increased Christian leadership in the school district, as his top adviser. Mr Kilgannon condemned the removal of spirituality as a topic from the classroom, arguing that “if we are not going to discuss Christian identity”, schools will instead be imposing “racial identities” and “sexual identities” on students.
In a September 8 speech at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., President Trump announced that the Department of Education “will soon issue new guidance protecting the right to pray in public schools.” He said the Bible is “an important part of America’s history” and that “we intend to uphold the Judeo-Christian principles of our nation’s founding, and we will defend them vigorously.”
4. Promote curriculum choice
While the federal government has historically not dictated curriculum choices, McMahon stressed that he believes what is taught in schools is best left to local communities. But the Department of Education is prioritizing patriotism education and promoting civics classes that introduce America’s history and founding principles in an “inspirational” way. The ministry said history should paint a “noble characterization” of the country’s past. Critics say the regime’s aim is to present a sanitized version of history, downplaying bitter episodes such as racial oppression and sexism.
The department directed states and school districts to avoid content that could make white students feel “intrinsically guilty” based on the oppressive practices of past generations. Mr. McMahon also supported the right of parents to remove their children from classes they find objectionable, such as classes about gay characters or books with homosexual themes.
5. Weakening civil rights protections
The department is using its Office of Civil Rights to pressure public schools to discontinue programs and policies that help black and Hispanic students. The department has launched an investigation into the school district for holding classes on systemic racism, hosting rallies to empower students of color and providing remedial support to black youth, all of which authorities say discriminates against white students.
Additionally, the department has repeatedly targeted school districts that allow students who were born male but identify as female to play on girls’ sports teams or use girls-only restrooms and locker rooms. In some cases, the department has instituted or threatened sanctions, including loss of federal funds and referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for further action.
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