U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Wednesday announced her first three proposed priorities for the Department of Education’s discretionary grants, signaling a significant shift in the agency’s focus.
The new priorities, centered on evidence-based literacy, expanding education choice, and returning education to the states, aim to address what Secretary McMahon described as “urgent needs of our students, families, and states.”
“Discretionary grants coming from the Department of Education will now be focused on meaningful learning and expanding choice, not divisive ideologies and unproven strategies,” stated Secretary McMahon. She emphasized the immediate need to address recent “dismal reading and math scores” by prioritizing fundamental learning, expanding educational options, and localizing educational decision-making.
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These proposed Supplemental Priorities have been published in the Federal Register, initiating a 30-day public comment period. Following this period, the Department will review, summarize, and respond to all comments before publishing a Notice of Final Priorities (NFP) that will guide future discretionary grant competitions.
This rapid release of proposed priorities marks the fastest such action by a Secretary of Education in a new administration, with additional priorities anticipated later this year.
Core Tenets of the New Priorities:
Evidence-Based Literacy: This priority will promote literacy instruction grounded in evidence, specifically advocating for methods based in the “science of reading.” This body of research underscores the importance of direct, systematic, and explicit instruction in areas such as phonological awareness, phonic decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension. The goal is to ensure proven methods are utilized to improve students’ reading abilities.
Expanding Education Choice: This priority seeks to broaden access to education choice across all relevant discretionary grant competitions. It offers a “menu” of options tailored to different grant program purposes and goals. These options include, but are not limited to, the expansion of charter schools, innovative school models, K-12 open enrollment, dissemination of information on choice options, implementation of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), home-based education, concurrent enrollment programs, career preparation, postsecondary distance education, skills-based education, apprenticeships, work-based learning, and accelerated learning and tutoring.
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Returning Education to the States: Designed for broad applicability, this priority will allow the Department to favor state applicants in competitions where they are eligible entities or can endorse other types of entities. The aim is to re-envision existing programs, reduce administrative burdens at the federal level, and empower states to manage these programs, reflecting the belief that decisions are best made closest to the child.
The announcement signals a departure from the previous administration’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in its grant priorities.
Under the Biden Administration, four out of six of the Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities advanced DEI ideologies, reportedly infusing grant programs with what Secretary McMahon’s office characterized as “divisive race stereotypes and even racial quotas.”
Examples cited included promoting student racial diversity through diversity plans and admissions policies, embedding DEI in educational subjects like civics and STEM, focusing on diversity among educators over teacher preparation, promoting social-emotional learning, and supporting school diversity and social justice policies.
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