U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who is dismantling the department she leads, said Tuesday that she supports ongoing national student testing and a role for the federal government in education research — but offered few specifics on Trump administration threats roiling the nation’s schools and universities, including massive funding cuts if diversity programs are not eliminated.
Since she took the helm in early March, the workforce of the Education Department has been slashed in half, nearly eliminating the research unit and sharply diminishing the civil rights division. Functions including student loans and financial aid are expected to be transferred to other agencies.
In an interview that lasted a little more than 30 minutes, education entrepreneur Phyllis Lockett questioned McMahon during a featured session of ASU+GSV, an education and technology conference taking place in San Diego. McMahon defended the aggressive actions to take down the department, saying that despite vast sums spent, the American public school system has continued to decline.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.
(Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)
“We’ve just gotten to a point that we just can’t keep going along doing what we’re doing,” said McMahon, who made a fortune as a professional-wrestling business entrepreneur and also served a year on the Connecticut board of education. “Let’s shake it up. Let’s do something different. And it’s not through bureaucracy in Washington. That is not where it happens.”
With the greatly diminished department of education, more money would be available to go to states, she said. But McMahon did not provide a direct answer when Lockett asked her what guardrails she would put in place to ensure the money was spent properly and effectively, as the federal government’s historical role in education has been to address inequities and help students with special needs.
DEI must be eliminated
McMahon did not say how education institutions should promote diversity when the playing field is not level for women or people of color. The department is pressuring all education entities to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, known as DEI.
“We know there’s a persistent achievement gap among Black and brown and low-income students,” Lockett said. “And so there has been a lot of resources directed as a result of that. So … when we hear that, ‘Oh, DEI … is a bad thing,’ it’s confusing. And, so, help us understand. … What are we trying to accomplish here?”
In response, McMahon focused on opposing discrimination in any form against anyone.
“I think discrimination is the bad thing,” McMahon said. “We shouldn’t have discrimination anywhere. … We’re not taking away the rights of anyone to serve the rights of another.”
McMahon also did not respond directly to a question about her department’s letter last week ordering school districts and states to certify they have have gotten rid all diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The administration has characterized these programs as discriminating on the basis of race.
Schools that continue such practices would be in violation of federal civil rights laws and could face termination of federal grants and contracts, the letter said. The letter initially gave states 10 days to submit the certification. The Education Department has extended the deadline to April 24, the Associated Press reported.
State leaders in Minnesota and New York said they will not comply with the Education Department order, which requires gathering signatures from local school systems. California education officials have signaled they could defy the order, saying they already regularly certify they are in compliance with federal laws.
On another topic during the interview, McMahon pledged continued support for historically Black colleges and universities, typically called HBCUs, pointing out that these schools do not limit their enrollment to Black students.
She also took aim at critics of President Trump.
“I heard a negative comment about taking down the Department of Education,” she said, “but the words that were used were, ‘The President wants to get rid of education.’ I’m saying, Well, I don’t think so. He is absolutely committed to every single child having equal access to an excellent education. And so … that’s what we are concerned about.”
Supporting national tests
McMahon said she supports the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP — also known as the nation’s report card — which tests samples of fourth and eighth graders from across the country. The tests are widely considered the best available yardstick for measuring academic achievement across state lines, because testing programs adopted by each state can vary considerably.
In late February, the Trump administration placed Peggy Carr, the head of the NAEP program and a career employee at the agency, on leave without explanation. The administration also canceled the Long-Term Trend exam for 17-year-olds. The department’s research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences, or IES, was cut from a staff of more than 175 to fewer than 20, according to the Hechinger Report.
IES was established in 2002 during the administration of Republican President George W. Bush to fund innovations and identify effective teaching practices. Its largest division is a statistical agency that dates back to 1867.
Most of the department’s research and data collections are carried out by outside contractors, and nearly 90 of these contracts were canceled, Hechinger reported.
“How are you going to help use data right, in a transparent way, to understand where we should be investing our resources?” Lockett asked McMahon.
McMahon suggested that the Institute of Education Sciences needed to be re-imagined and would benefit from the input of technology experts such as those at the conference.
“I would like to continue to work with some technology advisors, and maybe some people in this room could really give us some good advice on this,” McMahon said. “As with any program, money continues to grow. I always call it mission creep, but suddenly you look around and you’re going, ‘Why are we doing this? Why are we researching that and we’re ignoring this over here?’”
“There is a lot to look at with IES,” McMahon continued, adding that she spoke in support of research and testing with Trump.
“I said, ‘Look, this is what keeps us honest, because it’s comparing apples to apples,’” she said. “Especially for NAEP. … We’re going to keep NAEP absolutely, yes.” She said she wants to keep the national tests because “if we don’t, states can … be a little manipulative with their own results and their own testing.”
