Dagen McDowell: Trump's Plan to Dismantle the Department of Education and the Future of Education

Trump's Executive Order on Education

• 🎯 President Trump is expected to sign an executive order aimed at dismantling the Department of Education, intending to return control of education to parents.
• ⚠️ Fully eliminating the department requires Congressional action, specifically 60 votes in the Senate, a hurdle previously faced by Ronald Reagan.

The Role of Teachers Unions

• ✊ Teachers unions, like the American Federation of Teachers, are threatening legal action against Trump's initiative.
• 📉 Critics argue that union priorities are focused on political power rather than improving educational outcomes, citing America's 28th ranking in math among 37 countries.

Contrasting Views on Government and Parents

• 🧠 Progressives believe the government owns children, while conservatives assert that parents own children, with the state existing to serve citizens.
• 📚 The left struggles with this fundamental assumption, often controlled by teachers unions that are seen as enemies of homeschooling and parental choice.

Critiques of the Current Education System

• 📊 The current system is criticized for failing the very children it claims to help, with children of affluent parents attending private schools.
• 💰 Significant funds are allocated to the Department of Education, yet only a quarter of the $268 billion budget went directly to students last year.

Technology and AI as Solutions

• 💡 AI tutors show promise, with studies indicating that a few weeks of AI tutoring can advance a student's learning by six months.
• 🚀 Companies are developing AI tutors that engage children through games, offering a tireless and consistent educational experience that can make learning entertaining.
• ⚠️ With one in five US adults being illiterate and half unable to read above a sixth-grade level, technology is presented as a potential solution to the systemic failures exacerbated by union influence.