A Conversation with US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon | Global Conference 2025

Secretary Linda McMahon's Background and Appointment Philosophy

• Cited her experience as a parent of school-aged children and grandchildren as her primary preparation for the role.
• Confirmed her previous roles included CEO of WWE, Administrator of the SBA under the Trump administration, Connecticut State Board of Education member, university trustee, and two-time congressional candidate.
• Explicitly stated that President Trump's goal for the Department of Education (ED) is to "dismantle" the agency, noting she would have succeeded in her role if she "fired herself."
• Contrasted her business executive background with traditional educational leaders (professors, superintendents), arguing the current role requires a business leader rather than a career educator.

Federal Investigations into Higher Education

• Initiated investigations into universities including Columbia and Harvard, triggered by student encampments, concerns over anti-Semitism, and the suppression of student civil rights.
• Expanded scrutiny to include ideological instruction in place of subject matter and the vetting of activist students and faculty.
• Enforcing Section 117 of the Higher Education Act to ensure universities report federal funding and foreign donor contributions, citing non-compliance regarding taxpayer transparency.
• Challenged universities on adherence to Supreme Court rulings regarding admission policies, specifically citing the recent decision against Harvard.
• Clarified that federal funding is a conditional bonus, not a right, and non-compliance with civil rights or Supreme Court rulings warrants federal review.

Strategy for Dismantling the Department of Education

• Acknowledged that eliminating the Department requires Congressional action, including a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
• Outlined a vision to shift education control to the state and local levels, citing the Louisiana model under Cade Brumley as evidence of success.
• Promised continued funding for Title I and IDEA (special needs) programs, potentially redirected to states or a different agency rather than the current ED structure.
• Proposed increasing funding flows directly to students to enhance parental choice and control.
• Highlighted the $3 trillion spent by the federal government since 1980 alongside declining student performance as evidence of systemic failure.

Specific Funding and Charter School Initiatives

• Noted the President's budget increased the Charter Schools Program allocation to $500 million.
• Indicated these funds may be allocated to states to decide on distribution, contrasting with Connecticut's historically low charter school adoption (cited as 9–11 schools).
• Cited Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds' success in passing universal school choice as a model for raising public school levels through competition.
• Expressed confidence that states will adopt "best practices" and use research to improve outcomes once federal bureaucracy is removed.

Executive Orders on Technology and Workforce

• Artificial Intelligence: Directed the integration of AI into curricula to ensure early student expertise and global competitiveness.
• Workforce Development: Advocated for shifting cultural narratives to value trade and skill-based learning over four-year degrees, with potential entry points in middle or high school.
• Cited a robotics convention where students engaged in hands-on, skill-based learning as a model for workforce readiness.

Administrative Changes and Data Collection

• Confirmed the elimination of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) by the Department of Government Efficiency prior to McMahon's confirmation.
• Stopped contracts for most exams within the NCES to cut costs, which were estimated at nearly $1 billion.
• Committed to retaining the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test as the primary metric for year-over-year comparison, currently on pace for 2026.

Civics Education Initiatives

• Identified a significant gap in the current curriculum where civics education has been removed.
• Endorsed Prager University's initiative to use family-style storytelling (comparing it to the Jewish Passover Seder) to teach national history and heritage.
• Proposed a model where civics education starts at home and expands to all school types to prepare students for democratic participation.