As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris race toward the November elections, the issue of education has taken a backseat to discussions on immigration, foreign policy, and the economy. However, their approaches to K-12 and higher education are starkly different.
Trump’s Education Platform
Trump’s education agenda aims to “save American education” by prioritizing parental rights, promoting universal school choice, and advocating for “patriotic education.” His campaign emphasizes:
- Parental Empowerment: Trump supports increasing access to school choice and giving parents a voice in their children’s education.
- Curriculum Focus: The Trump campaign asserts that education should center on fundamental subjects like reading, writing, and math, rather than what they describe as gender, sex, and race issues pushed by the Biden administration.
- Department of Education: Trump has called for shutting down the U.S. Department of Education, preferring to transfer educational responsibilities back to the states. His team argues that the federal department is not the primary funding source for K-12 education, as most funding comes from state and local governments.
Trump’s campaign national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated that his approach aims to improve academic excellence for all students.
Harris’s Education Vision
In contrast, the Harris campaign focuses on the education investments made during the Biden-Harris administration and pledges to build on those efforts:
- Funding for Education: Harris points to unprecedented investments in K-12 education as a significant achievement, including the largest funding boost in history, which she cast the tie-breaking vote to pass.
- Department of Education: At the Democratic National Convention, Harris vowed not to allow Trump to eliminate the Department of Education, which she sees as essential for funding public schools.
Harris’s spokesperson, Mia Ehrenberg, criticized Trump’s approach, claiming that it would undermine students and schools by cutting billions from K-12 education.
Key Education Issues
Teacher Credentialing and Pay: Trump’s plan includes establishing a new credentialing body for teachers who align with patriotic values and aims to abolish teacher tenure and implement merit pay. The Democratic platform, however, emphasizes recruiting more teachers and supporting education staff with living wages and improved working conditions.
Curriculum Transparency and Parental Rights: Trump’s education plan includes implementing a “Parental Bill of Rights” that demands curriculum transparency and supports universal school choice. In contrast, the Democrats oppose private-school vouchers and other initiatives that divert public funds from education.
Title IX and LGBTQ+ Rights
Earlier this year, the Biden-Harris administration issued updated Title IX regulations extending protections for LGBTQ+ students. While these changes faced legal challenges in several GOP-led states, Trump has promised to repeal them if re-elected, reversing policies established under his predecessor, Betsy DeVos.
Student Debt and Higher Education
Harris highlights the Biden administration’s efforts in student loan forgiveness, which have provided nearly $170 billion in relief to around 5 million borrowers. Despite this progress, she aims to make higher education more affordable and plans to eliminate unnecessary four-year degree requirements for federal jobs.
Conversely, Trump has labeled the student loan forgiveness initiatives as “not even legal” and attempted to repeal the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program during his presidency. His education platform also proposes creating the “American Academy,” a free online university funded by taxing large private university endowments.
As the election approaches, education remains a crucial yet under-discussed policy area, with stark contrasts between the two candidates’ visions for the future of American education.
