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Donald Trump will be serving a second presidential term, and with both chambers of Congress likely under Republican leadership—though the House is still to be decided— the future of education in the U.S. could starkly change.
Trump has pledged to dismantle the Department of Education, cut federal funding for schools teaching critical race theory, and bar transgender female athletes from participating in school sports.
“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver,” Trump-Vance Transition Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told TIME in a statement.
Trump’s transition team did not respond to specific questions regarding which of his policies will take priority come January.
Here’s what to know.
Dismantling the Department of Education
On the campaign trail, the President-elect vowed to eliminate the Department of Education, which has been a cabinet-level agency since 1980. The Department takes on numerous functions: designating federal aid through Title I, which gives state and local funding for schools serving low-income families, handing out Pell Grants, and regulating student loan relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program or income-based repayment plans.
Experts tell TIME that dismantling the Department of Education is likely improbable. “It is entirely feasible to close down the Department of Education, but the functions of the Department of Education will need to continue,” says Ted Mitchell, president of American Council on Education, an organization that convenes higher education associations to discuss student issues.
That’s because the Education Department has numerous moving parts. It houses the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws across schools to protect students against discrimination. Regulations by the Education Department also affect college sports, which Josh Cowen,…
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