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A Review Of The Trump Administration S Actions On Education Forbes

Leo Migdal
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a review of the trump administration s actions on education forbes

The Trump administration has hit the ground running with significant changes to education policy since the January 20 inauguration. Just seven weeks into the new term, the Department of Education recently confirmed Secretary Linda McMahon. The U.S. Department of Education has embarked on a sweeping overhaul of federal education policy. From budget cuts to campus accountability measures, the administration's actions have sparked intense debate among educators, students, and policymakers. As the dust settles on these changes, one thing is clear: the landscape of American education is undergoing a significant shift in priorities, sending ripples through America's education landscape.

Here's a breakdown of what's happening—and what it means for the future of learning in the United States. One of the most immediate changes has been the Department of Education's scrutiny of test-optional admissions policies. In a controversial February memorandum, the Department suggested that test-optional policies might constitute "illegal" diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, mainly when implemented to increase campus diversity. This stance has drawn sharp criticism from educators and advocates who argue that test-optional policies have been instrumental in leveling the playing field for underrepresented students. The Trump administration has made no secret of its intention to reduce federal spending on higher education. Programs like the Research Experience for Undergraduates have slashed budgets, which provides critical research opportunities for college students.

According to Inside Higher Ed, these cuts threaten to dismantle a key pipeline for future scientists and researchers, particularly at historically underfunded institutions. Graduate programs have also been hit hard, with the administration arguing that many fail to deliver a clear return on investment. Critics, however, warn that these cuts will disproportionately affect low-income and first-generation students, further widening the gap in educational access. The Office for Civil Rights at the Education Department has launched investigations into 60 colleges and universities over allegations of antisemitism, including several Ivy League institutions, citing concerns about the safety and well-being of... The administration canceled $400 million in grants to Columbia University, citing the school’s alleged inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students. While some applaud the administration for taking a stand against hate speech, others worry that the investigations could have a chilling effect on free speech and academic freedom.

The line between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israeli policies is often blurred, raising concerns about overreach. On the Tuesday, December 2, 2025 episode of The Excerpt podcast: Trump’s latest Education Department moves target some of the agency's most important programs. From Title I to special education to student aid, we break down what’s moving, what’s staying and what the changes mean for millions of students. Zach Schermele joins USA TODAY's The Excerpt to unpack it all. Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form.

There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here President Donald Trump's quest to dismantle the Department of Education went into high gear late last month, with six interagency agreements that redistributed longstanding functional areas of the department. Well, Congress finally caved in and let Trump abolish the ED. Hello and welcome to USA Today's The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor.

Today is Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025. Here to help me dig into all of the changes at the Education Department, now joined by USA Today Congress reporter, Zach Schermele. Thanks so much for coming back, Zach. While only Congress can completely act as a federal agency, the Supreme Court has allowed the White House to move forward for now with mass education department layoffs. Walk me through the latest changes. The Trump administration is drastically changing the federal government's role in education.

Federal education policy has seen a lot of changes in the past six months since President Trump's inauguration. There's the Department of Education itself, which Trump has vowed to close. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We're going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible. It's doing us no good. CHANG: But that has not stopped the Trump administration from also wielding the department's power, most recently by withholding billions of dollars for K-12 schools. We're going to spend the next few minutes looking at the first six months of Trump's second term with NPR education correspondent Cory Turner.

Hi, Cory. CHANG: OK, so of all the changes in education policy that you've seen under President Trump this year, which ones do you think have the most far-reaching consequences? Inauguration Day was a time of hope for the MAGA faithful who watched President Donald Trump take his second oath of office in the Capitol rotunda. But less than a mile away, at the Department of Education, fear and uncertainty reigned. Researchers, contractors and federal staff — the corner of the Education Department that I cover — braced for potentially devastating upheaval. Would the department itself be eliminated, as Trump had promised during the campaign?

Would congressionally mandated research and statistical programs move to other agencies? And, if so, which ones? Amid the unease, a small but determined force was already at work. The consequences would be profound. As many as 16 members from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team embedded within the agency in early February, according to news reports. These Young Turks reviewed contracts, identified vulnerabilities and quietly plotted what some would later call a blitzkrieg against federal research.

As one senior researcher told me, decades of painstaking work vanished overnight in an attack by an inexperienced and ideologically driven staff intent on dismantling the bureaucracy without understanding its purpose. The first blow came in early February. In a single week, DOGE terminated more than 100 research contracts collectively worth over a billion dollars on paper. The consequences were immediate and staggering. Ten Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs), which had helped states pilot literacy and math interventions, were among these early casualties. Mississippi’s remarkable turnaround in reading achievement, commonly called the “Mississippi Miracle,” was nurtured by the Southeast laboratory, and the sudden loss of this infrastructure created uncertainty for other states in the midst of trying...

DOGE canceled an 11-year longitudinal study tracking youth with disabilities through high school into college and the workforce. Data painstakingly collected over five years was effectively discarded overnight. Instruction and support was suddenly yanked from 1,000 students in the study. Disability advocates described it as a “crushing loss.” Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Tania Otero Martinez Oct 23, 2025 Center for American Progress

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) today announced six new interagency agreements (IAAs) with four agencies to break up the federal education bureaucracy, ensure efficient delivery of funded programs, activities, and move closer to fulfilling the... By partnering with agencies that are best positioned to deliver results for students and taxpayers, these IAAs will streamline federal education activities on the legally required programs, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs and... These new partnerships with the Departments of Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), Health and Human Services (HHS), and State mark a major step toward improving the management of select ED programs by leveraging partner agencies’... These agreements follow a successful workforce development partnership signed with DOL earlier this year, which has created an integrated federal education and workforce system and reduced the need for states to consult multiple federal... "The Trump Administration is taking bold action to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states,” said U.S.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission. As we partner with these agencies to improve federal programs, we will continue to gather best practices in each state through our 50-state tour, empower local leaders in K-12 education, restore excellence to higher... Together, we will refocus education on students, families, and schools – ensuring federal taxpayer spending is supporting a world-class education system.” ED and DOL: Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership ED and DOL are establishing the Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership to empower parents and states, promote innovation, and deliver program improvements in pursuit of better outcomes for students in elementary and secondary education.

DOL will take on a greater role in administering federal K-12 programs, ensuring these programs are better aligned with workforce and college programs to set students up for success at every part of their... With proper oversight by ED, DOL will manage competitions, provide technical assistance, and integrate ED’s programs with the suite of employment and training programs DOL already administers. View the partnership fact sheet for Elementary and Secondary Education here. ED and DOL: Postsecondary Education Partnership ED and DOL are establishing the Postsecondary Education Partnership to better coordinate postsecondary education and workforce development programs. DOL will take on a greater role in administering most postsecondary education grant programs authorized under the Higher Education Act. The backdrop for this agreement is our nation’s annual labor shortage of over 700,000 skilled jobs and the Trump Administration’s commitment to transforming the federal government’s approach to workforce development.

These grants will help students from all walks of life obtain the credentials and career training they need to prosper and contribute to the American economy, as well as provide institutions of higher education... With proper oversight by ED, DOL will manage grant funds, provide technical assistance, and integrate ED’s postsecondary education programs into the suite of programs DOL already administers. View the partnership fact sheet for Higher Education here. In March, Trump signed an executive order to begin shutting down the Department of Education, though it would take an act of Congress to actually close it. In the meantime, the department is taking dramatic steps toward fulfilling a conservative vision of a reshaped primary and secondary education system. John Yang speaks with ProPublica investigative reporter Jennifer Smith Richards for more.

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. In March, President Trump signed an executive order to begin shutting down the Department of Education, though it would take an act of Congress to actually close it. In the meantime, the department is taking dramatic steps toward fulfilling a conservative vision of a reshaped system of primary and secondary education. Jennifer Smith Richards is the co-author of a ProPublica investigation looking into all of this. Jennifer, what is the Department of Education doing?

What steps are they taking? Yeah, so they've been very clear since Trump took office that the idea was to shut down the department. Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education, has called it her final mission. And Donald Trump, of course, has called the department a big con job. So that part has been clear, this desire to phase out many of the functions of the department and close it down. Help ensure every reader gets the full story.Your support goes twice as far to fund independent, deeply reported stories that students, families and educators rely on.

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