Trump targets Biden-era education policies, vows to put ‘parents back in charge’ of schools

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump took aim at American schools, arguing that they have veered off course.

He claimed students are learning divisive ideas instead of receiving a solid foundation in reading and math, and he didn’t hold back in his criticism of government-run schools for missing the mark on basic instruction.

Trump said his administration is trying to undo what he sees as failed education policies from President Joe Biden’s tenure and wants parents to have more say in their kids’ education.

Trump targets transgender ideology in schools

He highlighted controversies surrounding gender identity in schools. According to Trump, attempts to implement transgender-related curricula and policies haven’t delivered the results supporters promised.

He also claimed that federal law enforcement had previously been used to go after parents who spoke up at school board meetings, calling it a clear case of government overstepping its boundaries in local education issues.

Trump said that, even as classrooms shifted toward new ideologies, students were falling behind in basic academic skills.

He pointed to data that, in his words, showed schools were struggling with the fundamentals.

Trump spoke about what schools teach and how federal officials have dealt with arguments over that teaching.

He claimed some schools have stopped teaching about historical figures in the usual way and started criticizing people who were once considered role models.

“Transgender didn't work. Students were taught that our heroes are villains.”

Trump pushes for greater parental control

Trump wants to keep rolling back Biden-era education policies. He says the goal is to give parents more control while taking power away from federal agencies.

That has been a steady theme for his administration, which is working to shrink the federal government’s role in K-12 education.

Earlier moves had already sought to scale back or restructure the Department of Education, and these comments reinforce that direction.

“Far too many government-run schools failed at the basics and you just have to look at the charts they were failing at a thing called education.” 

These remarks surfaced as the administration ramped up efforts to showcase its education agenda before the new school year.

Officials zeroed in on two main themes: parental involvement and boosting academic performance.

Trump didn’t lay out any concrete new policies; he simply restated his administration’s promise to roll back past guidelines and give parents a bigger say in how schools make decisions.

"So immediately upon taking office, I signed an executive order to ban critical race theory, and to ban transgender ideology from public schools. That was a big deal. We banned men from playing in women's sports. That was so easy to do,” Trump said.

He claimed his administration was focusing on putting “parents back in charge.”

He also highlighted first lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative, thanking his wife for “helping transform the lives of children and young people aging out of the foster care system."

He claimed that Americans have long understood there is "no job more important" than teaching children to become "happy, healthy, proud, productive and flourishing citizens."