A Detroit educator recently told a congressional committee he is "terrified" at what a second Trump term as president could bring for America's public schools.
Rodney Fresh, a high school social studies teacher in Detroit, said parts of the Republican agenda appear to call for dismantling the public education system. He added the transition plan known as Project 2025 would "kick the ladder out from under" students who need it the most and eliminate the federal Department of Education.
"Why do they want to weaken public schools? If you ask me, it's because they fear what public schools do - we teach critical thinking, honest history and tolerance - and because diverse, educated citizens threaten their power," he asked.
Project 2025 is a 900-page blueprint by the conservative Heritage Foundation for reorganizing the federal government under a Republican administration. It calls for privatizing the public school system and cutting funding for more than 180,000 teaching positions.
Former President Donald Trump has denied any connection to the plan.
Fresh, who is a second-generation instructor, teaches ninth-grade U.S. history, 11th-grade world history and Advanced Placement African American studies. He warned that under Project 2025, classes on African American history would be censored, help for students with disabilities would be eliminated, and programs like Head Start, one of the most successful preschool programs of its kind, would be cut.
"This would shut off access to high-quality early childhood education for students in Detroit. It would also take away a lifeline many parents count on to give their kids a real opportunity and fair shot at overcoming poverty," Fresh added.
Fresh told members of the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee that under the plan's guidelines, millions of public school students whose families can't afford to send them to private schools would be deprived of the benefits of a quality public education.
"We can and must do better for the sake of our students. We cannot - and I repeat - we cannot allow Project 2025 to dismantle public education and destroy such an essential pillar of our democracy," he said.
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Enrollment in Indiana's 21st Century Scholars program has surged, reaching record levels. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education reports the program has enrolled more than 90,000 students for 2027 and 2028, more than double previous numbers. The boost follows a 2023 law allowing automatic enrollment for eligible students.
Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, authored the change. He hopes it helps more low-income students access a debt-free college education by meeting academic requirements.
"There are a lot of people that did not know it existed," he said. "I would ask people when they asked me about ways to fund their children's education, and I would mention 21st Century Scholars and almost 100% of the time the person would look at me and go, 'what's that?'"
The 21st Century Scholars program was created in 1990. It offers tuition-free college at Indiana's two- and four-year institutions for students who qualify based on income. Students eligible for the National School Lunch Program are automatically enrolled, though they may opt out. To remain in the program, they must meet certain academic and behavioral standards.
Harris commended the program's success and voiced optimism for expanding bipartisan educational efforts.
"I believe we as a state should do everything we can to help our young people continue their education post high school. We know funding is a big roadblock for a lot of people, and 21st Century Scholars is a great way to make sure that those funds are in place," he continued.
State education officials say over 50,000 students enrolled for 2028, with an additional 46,000 for 2027. Before automatic enrollment, sign-ups typically saw between 16,000 and 19,000 students.
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Parents and educators in Massachusetts are celebrating an end to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System graduation requirement.
Nearly 60% of voters approved Question 2, which ensures students still take the standardized test but does not require passage to receive a high school diploma.
Carolyn Scafidi, a retired special educator in Tyngsborough, said the results show voters trust teachers.
"The educators are the professionals, so let us do what we do best, not other outside sources saying that this is what you should be doing," Scafidi stressed.
Skafidi pointed out students must still complete district-certified coursework to demonstrate their comprehension and she predicted students will fare better without the added stress of a high-stakes test. Opponents said removal of the MCAS test will only loosen academic standards and increase inequality.
Roughly 700 students each year do not pass the MCAS exam and do not receive their high school diploma. Educators said the majority are students of color, English language learners and those with disabilities.
Joy Ahmed, a parent in Ashland, said her son has a learning disability and gets nervous before tests. She hopes more special education students and those put in transition programs after age 18 will no longer be penalized.
"Which would be a huge change in the special education community in the way that we treat students who are unique learners in this state," Ahmed observed. "They were often denied access to getting a diploma, so I'm thrilled for those families."
Ahmed added teachers will also have more time to be creative in the classroom without having to spend so many hours "teaching to the test." Massachusetts was one of just eight states to still require passage of a standardized test to receive a high school diploma.
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As New York considers new graduation requirements, the alternatives might not be easy to implement.
The state's Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures said Regents exams will no longer count toward graduation. Studies show exit exams do not raise a high school diploma's value or student achievement.
Arlen Benjamin Gomez, executive director of Ed Trust-New York, said while one alternative is performance-based assessments, the Department of Education might not provide resources for all districts to shift away from the Regents exams.
"In that process, we're concerned about what districts will do in order to look at other ways of demonstrating proficiency for students and whether students will be given a full menu of opportunities," Gomez noted. "Or whether some students will be pushed toward Regents exams and other students pushed towards untested ways of demonstrating proficiency."
Critics said Regents exams present barriers and biases for students. Along with racial biases, studies show exit exams can impact multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Before new requirements can be implemented, she argued fixing underlying issues such as minority students being undereducated should be addressed first.
Beyond new graduation requirements, Gomez pointed out another way to improve education is by fully funding schools. The Rockefeller Institute is studying the formula since many education advocates said it is ripe for change.
She contended the current education system is not preparing students for college and beyond.
"What we are doing is setting kids up to not be proficient, not being able to graduate demonstrating that proficiency, and then going on to college and careers where they're going to struggle, taking entry-level work-based assessments, or they might have to take remedial courses in college," studying the formula outlined. "We know that can lead to increased debt or students dropping out of school."
Current statistics show fewer than half of eighth graders statewide are proficient in math in a 2022-2023 assessment.
Students of color fared worse, with only 32% of Latino students and 31% of Black students being proficient in math. The numbers were still less than half for the same groups' reading proficiency.
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