GOP education platform big on parents’ rights, short on details

Republicans are looking to take a big swing at education if former President Trump returns to the White House.

Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.) helped kick off the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week by singing the praises of school choice, saying the Biden administration is “in the pocket of the far-left teachers unions, they trap poor kids like me in failing schools with no way out.”  

The official GOP platform emphasizes cutting funding to schools teaching about critical race theory, keeping transgender girls out of women’s sports and deporting “pro-Hamas radicals” from college campuses, among other conservative priorities. 

“The platform itself this year is very different from previous platforms. The previous platforms were much longer, much more detailed when it came to policy, and, so, even on some of the other education areas it has language that is pointing in the right direction, but without a lot of details,” said Jason Bedrick, a research fellow at the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation. “So, it’s pointing towards things like parental rights, but what exactly does that mean? How exactly is the party going to implement them? This document is not particularly clear.”

Culture wars a top priority

Republicans are planning to make big changes after four years of a Democratic presidency that has blocked their efforts regarding parental rights and what they think should be taught in schools.  

“Republicans offer a plan to cultivate great K-12 schools, ensure safe learning environments free from political meddling, and restore Parental Rights. We commit to an Education System that empowers students, supports families, and promotes American Values. Our Education System must prepare students for successful lives and well-paying jobs,” reads the introduction section of the GOP platform’s education section.  

Parental rights became an increasingly popular talking point during the COVID-19 pandemic as schools were shut down and academic scores dropped.  

House Republicans passed a national Parental Bill of Rights back in 2023, but it didn’t move in the Democratic Senate and was unlikely to be signed by President Biden.  

Other Republican issues at the national level that GOP states have fought in their legislatures include efforts against critical race theory and teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.  

Eighteen states have already banned critical race theory in K-12 classrooms, with others looking to join in.

Four Republican states also sued the Biden administration for including sexual orientation and gender identity in the discrimination aspects of Title IX.

“We believe schools should educate, not indoctrinate,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said at the convention on Tuesday. “We stand for parents rights, including universal school choice.” 

The Republican platform is also signaling support as red states aim to get more religion into classrooms. 

Louisiana is requiring every classroom to have a poster of the Ten Commandments, while Oklahoma is looking to incorporate the Bible into civics and history lessons.  

“Republicans will reinstate the 1776 Commission, promote Fair and Patriotic Civics Education, and veto efforts to nationalize Civics Education. We will support schools that teach America’s Founding Principles and Western Civilization” the GOP platform says.

School choice and structure 

Apart from the culture wars, Republicans are looking to make big strides with how schools are run.  

At the top of the list is school choice, which has spread rapidly through GOP-led states, most recently through education savings accounts (ESAs). ESAs are government-funded accounts for parents who decide not to put their children in a traditional public school, with a certain amount of money allowed each year for families to put towards private education or homeschooling. 

“When I was in the first grade, my mother took me out of public school because she could see that public education was failing me,” Donalds said at the convention. “I needed to be challenged, and I needed the opportunity that only a private school could provide. My mother is an educator, and she truly believed in my potential, but Democrat politicians wanted to trap me in a failing school, but my mom fought for me.” 

Republicans are looking to have every state in the country implement ESA accounts. 

“This is a litmus test issue for Republicans, and now that’s been cemented by making it clear in the platform that the party supports school choice for all,” Bedrick said, adding, “I would expect that the base is going to hold elected Republican officials accountable to the platform.”

Other reforms Republicans want in schools include ending teacher tenure, adopting merit pay, overhauling discipline procedures for students, funding career training programs and in general “return[ing] education to the states.” 

“The United States spends more money per pupil on Education than any other Country in the World, and yet we are at the bottom of every educational list in terms of results. We are going to close the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and send it back to the States, where it belongs, and let the States run our educational system as it should be run,” the platform says.