Education Under Siege: Navigating the Trump Administration’s Transformative Policies
Summary
On March 20, 2025 President Trump signed an executive order initiating the dismantling of the Department of Education (DOE). Aiming in part to redistribute federal education powers to state and local entities, the push against the Department of Education reflects a broader belief from the administration in localized control over K-12 education and school choice, as well as changes in DEI, Title IX, and immigration policies at the institutional level, and changes to the administration of student loan programs.
While the actual dismantling of the DOE will require congressional approval, the impact of ongoing changes and executive orders from the administration have already caused a ripple of changes within the higher education community. The “Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” executive order, signed by Trump earlier this month, reiterates his enthusiasm for universal school choice, wherein parents can access public funding to send their children to any school, whether public, private, or charter.
There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding whether funding levels will be maintained as the Trump administration transfers responsibility for education funding to the states. Although the administration has promised to give state governments money, it's unclear if these sums will be on par with what schools have traditionally received. For schools that are already struggling with a lack of resources, this uncertainty creates a difficult environment.
What Could Change
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One of the primary roles of the US Department of Education is ensuring that there are special education resources available across the country. With the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders, that funding is in serious jeopardy, and states’ abilities to fill the funding gap is uncertain, and uneven. It has been suggested by Trump cabinet members that—absent the Department of Education—Special Education supports could be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, leading to further confusion and concern.
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The Trump Administration swiftly ended COVID-19 vaccine mandates for students in schools, a move that tracks with the administration’s strategy to “respect parental authority, religious freedom, disability accommodations, and equal protection under law, as relevant to coercive COVID-19 school mandates.” As COVID-19 vaccine requirements taper off naturally, concerns are still present about vaccines for diseases like measles and polio, though the executive order as it stands currently only addresses COVID-19 mandates.
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Several executive orders, including Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity and Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, seek to ban DEI practices and call for investigations of top public and private institutions with DEI programs, including colleges and universities. The Department of Justice and the Department of Education have been instructed to ensure that universities and colleges comply with the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, 600 U.S. 181 (2023) ruling, which found that race-based affirmative action in college admissions violates the Equal Protection Clause. These agencies have also been ordered to terminate DEI requirements in federal contracts and awards.
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In 2020, the Trump administration overhauled Title IX regulations, narrowing the definition of sexual harassment and gender, requiring live hearings with cross-examination in sexual assault cases, and limiting protections for transgender students, especially regarding bathroom access. These changes forced universities to adapt their policies or risk losing federal funding. The administration’s Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports executive order also relies on Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 to rescind funding from educational programs that “deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities. The Biden Administration reversed some of the Trump era restrictions effective August, 2024 (although was silent on transgender participation in college athletics) leaving institutions to repeatedly update their Title IX programs.
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The Trump Administration has launched several initiatives that will substantially impact student loan programs, and students of modest means advancing their educational goals. Most notably, there will be restrictions on public service loan forgiveness and student loan forgiveness eligibility, a stop-work order on affordable student loan repayment plans, and a transfer of the administration of student financial loans to the to the Small Business Administration, which itself has announced it will be slashing its workforce. As student loan responsibility shifts to the Small Business Administration, experts suggest that delays in processing loans and increased administrative errors could occur, impacting the state’s students and families who rely on timely access to financial aid.
Impact on Pennsylvania and Philadelphia
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Governor Josh Shapiro has expressed concern over the potential implications of dismantling the Department of Education and the executive orders impacting federal support for education. The governor emphasized that federal funding plays a vital role in supporting Pennsylvania’s public education system, particularly for underserved communities. Any reduction in these funds, he warns, could deepen existing educational disparities and hinder efforts to improve student outcomes across the state. Shapiro has also threatened legal action against the administration if the closing of the Department of Education results in cuts to Pennsylvania’s federal funding.
In particular, there is concern over the maintenance of federal aid for programs serving students with special education needs. These changes could lead to setbacks in critical programs.
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In Philadelphia, the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education raises concerns about funding reductions and local school districts’ ability to support special education programs, similar to state worries. District officials fear that the shift in responsibilities could disrupt crucial services for vulnerable student populations amidst a major teacher shortage and a high number of immigrant students. Philadelphia’s higher education institutions are also bracing for potential policy changes. For example, Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania are revising their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs to ensure compliance with federal mandates that prohibit the use of federal funds for institutions promoting policies the administration deems “radical.” This is part of a broader national trend where universities are re-evaluating their DEI initiatives in response to federal directives.
Looking Ahead
While the administration’s educational reforms have been applauded by proponents of school choice and reduced federal control, the fear remains that these policies could exacerbate inequities already present in education. The redistribution of funds and resources may undermine the support for underprivileged students and those with disabilities, who depend on federal protections. The dissolution of the Department of Education is likely to receive significant backlash from Congress, who has the final say in its termination as a government entity. Not all is lost: as the legal landscape evolves and future administrations reconsider these regulations, there is potential for broader protections and more inclusive policies to be reinstated, ensuring that all students have access to a fair, equitable education.
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