Where we find overlap is their shared interest in shutting down the Department
of Education and transferring all authority on education to the states.
Agenda 47 outlines Trump’s plans to
cut the Department of Education and give all educational oversight back to
the
states. The Department of Education’s federal responsibilities will be split up
among
other departments and agencies. Trump’s agenda also expresses that he plans to
fire
any “defiant” employees from federal positions.
Project 2025 is calling for the complete
elimination of the Department of Education through the “Department of Education
Reorganization Act” (pg 330). It believes that “existing funding should be sent to states”
and
that it is not the responsibility of the federal government to intervene in education.
It also calls for different divisions within the Department of Education, to move to
different departments which do not necessarily pertain to education. For
example it
calls for the oversight of IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which
grants
schools with funding for disabled students, to move to the Department of Health and Human
services which historically does not deal with educational grants.
Gender Identity and Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Education
Where we find overlap is in their policies about the participation of Transgender
Athletes in sports, the removal of gender ideology and Critical Race Theory in
schooling, and changing laws regarding federal funding and regulations on general
identity and Critical Race Theory (CRT).
Trump’s Agenda 47 and the RNC Platform want to remove gender
ideology critical race theory, and other “inappropriate racial, sexual, or
political content” from education. Schools that don’t comply will be cut off from federal
funding. Looking specifically at gender identity and expression, Trump aims to ban
transgender athletes from participating in sports. Agenda 47 and the RNC will
also
cut funding for any school that includes Critical Race Theory in its curriculum.
Project 2025 takes a hard stance on the debate of gender identity and critical race theory, calling for the
amendment of Title IX to “define sex to mean only biological sex recognized at birth,” removal of CRT in our
school curriculums, and to overall “reject[] gender ideology and critical race theory ” It signals
that
the current laws should be changed and restored to the “Trump administration’s Title IX regulation” through
Congress, and that Congress should amend title IX to counter the “trampling” that has been done in regards
to
“women’s and girl’s athletic opportunities.” Project 2025 aims to ban transgender athletes from
participating
in sports. Furthermore, it seeks to enforce laws which prevent the enforcement of recognizing
one’s
gender identity if it is inconsistent with their biological sex. For example, if Sally were to
prefer
using She/Her pronouns, but was biologically a male, Project 2025 suggests that anyone referring to that
individual in a public educational or institutional settings CAN NOT use She/Her pronouns to refer to Sally
“without the written permission” of their guardians.
Higher Education and Student Loan Forgiveness
Where we find overlap is in the removal of accreditation agencies which they both believe to be pushing a Leftist
agenda. Agenda 47 and Project 2025 are also against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in higher education.
In Agenda 47, Trump accuses higher education accreditors of “ripping off students and taxpayers.” The
platform
proposes removing all “radical Left” accreditors and replacing them with accreditors that will uphold
a
new set of standards. These new regulations on colleges will include the removal of all diversity,
equity,
and inclusion positions, implementation of entrance and exit exams, and broadening options for
accelerated or low-cost degrees. Trump also proposed the creation of a new educational institution, the
American
Academy, which will offer free education for citizens and will be financed by taxation or fines imposed on
private university endowments.
Project 2025 is extremely critical of higher education accreditation agencies as well as
student
loan forgiveness. It wants to prohibit accreditation agencies from mandating that
universities implement diversity, equity, and inclusion policies (pg. 352). It
also
believes that “accreditation regulations should be removed” by Congress and
if
that is not possible then the president should pursue Antitrust lawsuits against
accreditors, specifically the American Bar Association. In regards to student
loans, Project 2025 believes that “there should be no loan forgiveness” and that student
loan
obligations should be privatized and given to a “government corporation” (pg. 327 and 338).
K-12 Education
Where we find overlap is in the proposal of the Parental Bill of Rights. Both
Project 2025 and Agenda 47 call for a parental bill of rights in regards to
education.
Agenda 47 details comprehensive changes to K-12 education, including the termination
of
teacher tenure and the creation a new teacher credentialing body that certifies
those “who embrace patriotic values [and] support our way of life.” The RNC Platform also
echoes
these changes to education, noting that instead of tenure teachers will be awarded Merit Pay
depending on their performance. Trump’s Agenda 47 also advocates for an expansion of
parental
rights in schooling. Under this platform, parents would have the power to “hire… good
principals
and teachers, and also fire the poor ones.” Trump is also backing the adoption of a
Parental Bill of Rights that ensures “curriculum transparency… and
universal
school choice.” On the topic of homeschooling, Agenda 47 explains that parents who
homeschool
their children will receive a tax-free benefit of $10,000 per child annually.
Project 2025 is
calling for the phasing out of Title I programs across schools and leaving
the
“decision making-control” of education for low-income families to states (pg 350). It also
calls
for a review of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act which prohibits
discrimination
of the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs receiving federal financial
assistance, specifically calling for the removal of disparate impact. Disparate impact is
when
neutral seeming laws impact certain marginalized groups, for example how African-American
students tend to score lower on standardized tests when compared to Asian-Americans due to
the
fact that Asian-Americans often times have access to more educational resources. Project
2025
calls for an end to a review of policy as exemplified above. Furthermore, Project 2025 calls
for
the adoption of a Parental Bill of Rights similar to the one Agenda 47
endorses.
Faith-based Education
Where we find overlap is in their advocacy to strengthen legal protections for
faith-based institutions and religious expression in schools.
In the RNC Platform and Agenda 47, there is a
shared sentiment to “bring back prayer” to classrooms. Moreover, both
platforms
aim to crack down on any violations of religious expression in schools.
Project 2025 seeks to
strengthen protections for faith based educational institutions. Under Project 2025
accreditation agencies—which determine national standards of education and
what
criteria a school has to complete in order to be recognized as a learning institution—
are prohibited from requiring these standards and criteria for faith based schools
should it undermine their religious beliefs. Furthermore, it calls for the
removal
of a list of colleges which attempted to claim a religious exemption with the Office of
Civil
Rights in regards to implementing Title IX.
Streamline2024
About Us
We create a database that breaks down the policies proposed by both the parties.