The United States (U.S.) president, re-elected in 2024, brought fireworks with him. Republican Donald Trump won the presidency over Democrat Kamala Harris in late 2024. With his administration, Trump has been changing many things about the current U.S. system. Trump served one term in 2016-2020 but was not re-elected in 2020. His administration has already made many monumental changes in the scope of education; on Mar. 18, Trump removed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) from government services. This change will affect many school districts in the country including, our county, Arlington Public Schools (APS), in Northern Virginia.
Most notably, Trump ended the Department of Education (DOE). The DOE has been a key part of America’s educational system as it promotes equality, provides aid for disability accommodations, and creates support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ (LGBTQ+) students. It helps make opportunities for minority students accessible beyond what is already given and it has provided opportunities for all students. Ending the DOE would remove resources and other tools that some children require to learn effectively, leading to more inequality in public schools. This enormous change will affect APS as it will reduce the support some of our peers need to succeed in the classroom. On Mar. 21, 2025, APS released a statement on the topic of the DOE; they state that the school board understands the crucial role that federal programs in the DOE play such as Title I, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and financial aid. APS will continue to advocate for equitable access to education for students and, “APS remains committed to ensuring that all students receive a high-quality education in a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment.”
In Arlington, Virginia, not everyone has access to the same resources, so cutting out the DOE would put some students at risk of not getting proper education. APS and our school are diverse in students and teachers, and multiple features are at risk with the removal of these resources.. Washington-Liberty High School has been a minority-majority school since 2023, with our Latino population outnumbering the second biggest population, white students. 30.85% of APS students are Hispanics and 27.49% are English Learners (EL), large populations of students that would be significantly affected by the changes Trump is inflicting. Because of this, we offer EL classes that fall under the list of resources that could become unfunded.
Additionally, as Trump removed the DEI, this will profoundly impact on the learning of special-needs students. The current inclusion program helps students with disabilities acclimate into a normal learning community and gives them the support they require. According to the American Diversity Report, DEI initiatives have integrated children into environments with diverse learning, funded resources required for individualized support and greater training of teachers. DEI initiatives and special education help them build classroom skills and all the current resources are critical in their learning. The removal of DEI will significantly lessen the support of special-needs students, which will slow their progress. APS has set up DEI initiatives in their district, too, and removing this organization will adversely affect special-need students. They have individualized/specialized education plans, elaborate processes, and countywide programs like the Integration Station, which are programs at the risk of being taken out.
The DOE has been beneficial to countless schools across the country and the programs they have set up within the department, like IDEA or the DEI, have aided learning for many children, creating an educated nation. This equality of education will soon go away and with Trump’s changes, America’s learning will be pretty different in the coming times.
