While education was not one of main issues in the 2016 presidential election, Trump still expressed some of his plans for education in the upcoming years.
On September 8, 2016, Donald Trump delivered a speech in Ohio that addressed his views on education. In his speech he stated that as “president [he] will be the nation’s biggest cheerleader for school choice. [He understands that] many stale old politicians will resist, but it’s time for [the] country to start thinking big and correct once again.”
Trump plans on using federal block grants support his school choice plans. School choice gives the family a platform to choose which way their children will be educated. It will provide families with additional options of schooling for their children. It will also pressure the current public school system to improve in a number of ways. School choice may also have a number of negative implications to come with it.
Opportunities for children to interact with other cultures and races may decline, the number of public school students may decrease drastically, and private schooling may become even more expensive. The issue has been quite controversial, but it appears that the new president-elect, Trump, will be encouraging the idea.
Donald Trump has also spoken of changing the federal student loan system back to private lenders. Transferring the loans back to banks may increase interest rates and make loans more expensive for students. This will impact lower-income students the most, making it a lot harder to obtain loans. It will also become more difficult to pay back these loans.
Though it seems as though these plans are aimed at improving the current education system, there may be some negative consequences that will have even more of an impact. If these plans are followed through, the education system will be very different that we are used to now.
The lower and middle class will be affected most by these plans that Donald Trump has, and it may not be for the better.
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