Former President Donald Trump — now projected to be the next president of the United States — has proposed far-reaching reform for the nation. educational systems.

Here are the areas of education that could have an impact of the second mandate:

Department of Education

Trump’s Agenda47 campaign proposed eliminating the Department of Education — which, according to the DOE website, “sets policy for, administers, and coordinates the bulk of federal education assistance.”

The DOE, established by President Jimmy Carter, provides programs such as Title I funding for low-performing or high-poverty K-12 schools in need of support, as well as Pell Grants for undergraduate students with high financial need.

Throughout Trump’s first presidency, he has proposed billions in cuts to the Department of Education budget.

In a campaign video, Trump said he wants states — not the federal government — to have control over schools.

However, he also outlined plans to further restrict classroom content or discussion in schools based on guidelines that would be enforced at the federal level.

Content Restrictions

Trump’s campaign outlined a plan that includes prayer in public schools, an expansion of parental rights in education, patriotism as a central element of education and an emphasis on the “American Way of Life.”

He also called for the dismantling of diversity initiatives in education and the reduction of federal funding for schools or programs that present “critical race theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content.” Legislation backed by Republicans across the country has sought to do the same. to limit these topics, and efforts have been criticized for being vague and leading to “censorship” in schools and classrooms on topics related to race, gender, and politics.

Similar policies and rhetoric against school content on race, sex, sexuality and more coincided with the removal of more than 10,000 books from library shelves in the 2023-2024 school year, according to the free speech advocacy group PEN America.

MORE: Former librarian sues Texas county, claims she was fired for refusing to check out books

Trump also suggested he would create a new accrediting body to certify teachers “who embrace patriotic values ​​and support the American way of life” and restore his administration’s 1776 Commission to align history teaching with founding “values” United States of America – although Agenda47 does not elaborate further on what such values ​​are and does not define the criteria for adopting the “American Way of Life”.

School choice

Trump also supports nationwide universal school choice programs, which allow a student to transfer public education funds to non-public schooling options — including private schools or home schools.

This comes as voters in three states — Nebraska, Kentucky and Colorado — rejected efforts to codify or expand this type of school choice.

Salary and tenure of teachers

Trump’s Agenda47 also anticipates ending teacher tenure laws. These laws are described by the United Federation of Teachers as state laws that prevent a school district from firing a tenured teacher without due process. Most states have property laws in place; however, at least 10 states have zero or limited tenure laws, according to the National Education Association.

He also said he would adopt merit pay for teachers. Some studies have shown that merit pay programs improve student outcomes, but critics argue that there is insufficient evidence and that various factors influence student performance — including funding and resource inequity.

Higher education

Trump’s higher education agenda includes creating a new, free university called the “American Academy” and funding it by “taxing, fining and suing” private universities.

Abolish the Department of Education? Trump’s plan for schools in his second term originally appeared on abcnews.go.com