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This article is part of 74’s EDlection 2024 Coverage looking at candidates’ education policies and how they might impact America Education system after 2024 elections.

Former President Donald Trump may have pulled off an unthinkable upset by becoming the first commander in chief to skip a term since 1892. But his defeat against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has left many education advocates wondering what another Trump administration, with its anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and talk of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, could mean for the nation’s students — especially when performance is still four years behind after the pandemic.

“We cannot emerge from this decade with students, especially low-income students, performing worse than they did when they entered the decade,” said Kevin Huffman, CEO of Accelerate, a nonprofit that funds academic recovery efforts. “My biggest fear is that people will use the Department for Education as a coach on other issues and not use it as a force to take charge of children’s academic outcomes.”

Republican candidate declares it ‘America’s golden age’ performed better More people voted in battleground states like Georgia and Florida than in 2020. As expected, Republicans flipped the Senate and with a few races remaining, they will have a majority of at least 52 seats. Control of the assembly is still undecided.

Observers expect Trump to immediately override the Biden administration’s Title IX rule, which extends protections against discrimination to LGBTQ students.

Those who campaigned for Trump and accepted his promises of demise “wake up” teaching celebrated its return in schools.

“American parents voted for their children’s future,” said Tiffany Justice, co-founder of the conservative advocacy group Mothers for Freedom. Published on X. His name is already among the names floating around as a possible possibility. education secretary. He told The 74 he would be “honored to serve the next president of the United States.”

Most clues about Trump’s top priorities come from the conservative Heritage Foundation. Leadership Authorityor Project 2025. In addition to eliminating Title I funding for low-income students and Head Start funding for preschoolers from poor families, the plan would also remove references to LGBTQ individuals throughout federal policy.

But even if Washington ends up with the GOP’s trio of federal appointees hand-picked by Heritage, the president-elect may not be able to follow through on some of his bolder promises to dismantle the education department and dismantle the education department. deporting millions of illegal immigrants

“When the administration changes, some of this rhetoric will become reality,” said Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Association. “This is a president we are very accustomed to. I understand people are nervous; They are very worried. But when it comes down to it, there is also the reality of management.”

David Cleary, a former Republican Senate education official who now works on the left, said that eliminating the education department, for example, would require 60 votes in the Senate and would likely be unpopular in the House as well, even if Republicans were still in control. leaning lobbying firm.

“The votes will not happen,” he said.

Michael Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, added that “draconian cuts” in spending would also be difficult to accept. Therefore, Trump is expected to implement some of his conservative agenda through executive orders.

“Let’s assume there is no great awakening about the problems facing America and people remain in the partisan trenches,” Cleary said. “Trump will need to take a page from (President Joe Biden’s) playbook and do a lot with executive actions and regulatory plans.”

This would include halting enforcement of Biden’s Title IX rule, which currently applies to only 24 states due to lawsuits filed by Republican-led governors. Officials will likely restart the process of restoring a 2020 regulation completed under former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that narrowed the definition of sexual assault and expanded defendants’ due process rights.

An LGBTQ advocacy organization called Trump’s victory an “immediate threat.”

“Today, many in our community feel a deep sense of loss and anxiety about the future,” said Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of GLSEN, pointing to Heritage’s statement. Project 2025 As a blueprint for how Trump will roll back policies that allow transgender students to play on sports teams or use restrooms that match their gender identity. “With these changes, our young people may face increased discrimination, reduced access to safe spaces, and reduced legal recognition.”

Trump, a convicted criminal The oldest candidate to be elected president, at 78, is also expected to push for private school choice, perhaps around $5,000. tax credit scholarship program It passed a House committee in September. But despite the GOP’s enthusiasm for vouchers and education savings accounts that allow parents to use public funds for private school tuition and homeschooling expenses, some advocates want to see more support for the charter industry.

Petrilli, who describes himself as a “never Trumpian,” said he worries about returning to the “political dynamics” of Trump’s first term that did not benefit charter schools.

“Pro-reform Democrats have been sidelined or silenced,” he said. “This would be a terrible development, given that there are so many children in blue states like California, New York, and Illinois who desperately need high-quality educational options.”

But Rodrigues sees some bright spots in Republicans’ focus on parental rights and school choice. “These can be positive when not taken to extremes,” he said.

He is encouraged by the prospect of Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana becoming chairman of the Senate education committee, and he has previously emphasized the importance of improving education. literacy results.

While the National Parents Association has been interacting closely with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and the White House, he said leaders are also having ongoing “deep conversations” with people on both sides of the aisle.

“No matter what happens in the Parliament, no matter what changes are made in the Senate, progress will be made for children under all circumstances,” he said. “I think the depth of our relations is not limited to one particular party.”

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