Vouchers, Patriotism and Prayer: The Trump Administration’s Plan to Remake Public Education

Linda McMahon, the nation’s secretary of education, says public schools are failing. In November, she promised a “hard reset” of the system in which more than 80% of U.S. children learn.

But rather than invest in public education, she has been working to dismantle the Department of Education and enact wholesale changes to how public schools operate. “Our final mission as a department is to fully empower states to carry the torch of our educational renaissance,” she said at a November press conference. To help her carry out these and other goals, McMahon has brought at least 20 advisers from ultraconservative think tanks and advocacy groups who share her skepticism of the value of public education and seek deep changes, including instilling Christian values into public schools.

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