Fireside Chat, Conference Presentation
A Conversation with US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon | Global Conference 2025
- The Department of Education is projected to be dismantled within a five-to-ten-year timeframe, shifting funding directly to students and states to potentially increase Title One and IDEA support while moving administrative control to state levels.
- The charter schools program funding is planned for expansion to $500 million, to be allocated by states where governors and superintendents are expected to implement best practices.
- School choice initiatives, such as those modeled after Iowa's universal program, are anticipated to improve educational levels in states with few current charter schools, including Connecticut which currently has nine or eleven such institutions.
- Transparency reports will be presented to Congress to demonstrate the plan's efficacy and persuade lawmakers to vote for closing the Department of Education.
- Artificial intelligence is expected to be integrated into school curricula at a young age to develop student expertise and maintain global competitiveness.
- Workforce development will shift to validate job paths starting in middle or high school through hands-on, skill-based learning, reducing the emphasis on mandatory four-year degrees.
- The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test is scheduled to continue through 2026, while contracts for other exams deemed unnecessary will be terminated following nearly $1 billion in prior spending.
- Civics education is envisioned to be reintegrated into curricula, potentially utilizing student-produced media models similar to Prager University to teach national history and heritage.