How Project 2025 is Changing Education in America | Policy Pulse
Your Week-to-Week Guide to the Policy Playbook Rewriting the U.S. Education System
Last Updated: November 7, 2025
Project 2025 needs no introduction. The policy platform behind the second Trump Administration has been working its way through the United States government, unraveling the social democratic order that protects the rights of the nation’s most targeted citizenry and rewriting the country into an image contrary to its professed ideals as the beacon for democracy around the world. Nowhere is this being felt more than in the education sector.
Project 2025 has a chapter dedicated to the United States Department of Education. From rolling back affirmative action policies to ordering the dismantling of the entire department itself, Project 2025 seeks to fulfill the vision that Republicans have held onto since the very inception of the department itself. They seek to control the narrative that gets told about America and its history—and they seek to manipulate our nation’s children to do so.
This article is your go-to reference for everything Project 2025 is doing to unravel the nearly fifty-year-old federal education system. We’ll be providing you with:
The latest updates on policy initiatives and executive orders that seek to fulfill the Project 2025 agenda
Tips on what to watch for in your local communities and in the rhetoric of your local, state, and federal elected officials
Action steps for how to combat the implementation of the Project 2025 policies
A list of organizations and individuals to support that are fighting against Project 2025 every day, for the education sector and beyond
Much of what we’re monitoring is listed in the Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for Leadership manuscript. And while we could index and keep a running checklist of our own, we at Policy & Pedagogy believe that the Project 2025 Tracker by RusticGorilla is the most accurate status tracker of how our government has been fulfilling its vision. Our resources here will build on their daily analysis with concrete action plans to keep Project 2025 from succeeding.
Together, let’s fight for an education that will truly transform our children into the adults this nation so desperately needs.
Education Policy & Agenda Item Watchlist
Source: Project 2025 Tracker | Department of Education – Rustic Gorilla
The elimination of the PLUS loan program.
The elimination of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
The elimination of the Department of Education.
The elimination of the GEAR-UP program.
The elimination of Title I funding.
The elimination of the National Education Association’s congressional charter.
Bans on teaching subjects related to race and gender in public schools.
A federal “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”
Cuts to all entities that disagree with the notion of “parental rights”1
A monetary cap on indirect funding to colleges and universities.
Permitting states to opt out of federal programs and repurpose the funds for “any lawful education purpose.”
The conversion of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding into “no-strings” block grants.
The authorization of states to recognize accreditation agencies.
The authorization of states to act as accreditation agencies.
The privatization of the federal student loan portfolio.
The creation of the private right of action in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.
Project 2025 Education Agenda Items Completed
Source: Project 2025 Tracker | Department of Education – Rustic Gorilla
October 13, 2025:
Rescind the equity-related regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
July 4, 2025:
Reverse efforts towards student loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment plans.
March 12, 2025:
Ceased all Title VI disparate impact investigations by closing most civil rights offices.
January 31, 2025:
Rescind Title IX policies that strengthen prosecution efforts for sexual assault and discrimination cases.
January 29, 2025:
Increased federal funding for school choice programs.
Provide tax credits for private schools.
January 20, 2025:
Establish guidelines that position “sex” as a biological fact, abandoning the prior Title IX definition of sex: “sexual orientation and gender identity.”2
Rescind the “non-binary” option in civil rights data collected from schools.
What Can You Do? | Action Roadmap
As an everyday, ordinary citizen, you have a few options at your disposal to make a difference in your region’s schools:
Vote
Keep track of and remember to vote in the primary and general elections in your state, especially when the members of your local school board are up for election.
There are elections happening every year. Always stay informed. Always stay registered.
Check your voter registration every year and months before every election. Your votes are powerful. If they weren’t, then people wouldn’t be trying to restrict your right to vote.
Civil Protest & Outreach
Identify your local politicians and school boards. Then find their websites and review their schedules. Your politicians will hold town halls. Your school boards will hold school board meetings. Both are events accessible to the public; both will give you opportunities to address or confront the individuals deciding the policies for your region.
Also, stay up to date on large-scale protests being held in your area and which organizations are organizing them. No Kings is an example of an organization holding regular civil protests across the country. There is nothing more American than civil disobedience.
Run for Office
Consider running for your local school board, state legislature, or federal legislature. The organization, Run for Something, has a plethora of resources to help you run for the elected office of your choosing.
Outreach Checklist
In order to effect change at the ground level, you need to know who your elected officials are and the territories that they cover. Professional lawyer, Leeja Miller, has created a Local Politics Cheat Sheet that will serve as a foundational guide so that you always know:
Which Congressmen represent you at the state and federal levels
Which school district you fall under, and who your school board members are
Which political parties are most active in your state
When your local, state, and federal officials will be up for election
Reading Resources
Books for This Current Moment | What’s On My Mind
The Constitution of the United States | National Constitution Center
Organizations & Individuals to Support
Adrienne Cobb (RusticGorilla): Author of Project 2025 Tracker and KeepTrack, an independently run news website dedicated to documenting the forces shaping American politics.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): The ACLU has been fighting for the civil and human rights of American citizens and immigrants since the early 20th Century. From combating centuries-long racial inequities in our schools to defending the rights of LGBT students nationwide, the ACLU is challenging injustice wherever it persists in our judicial system, electoral system, and incarceration system to ensure that this nation lives up to its creed to seek “liberty and justice for all.”
Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE): FIRE has been fighting to protect the First Amendment rights of American citizens since 1999. They are the front-runners challenging book bans in primary and secondary schools and defending the free speech rights of students on college campuses across the country.
Leeja Miller: Leeja Miller is a Minnesota lawyer who, since 2020, has provided her legal and political expertise as a lens to discuss American political news as a professional content creator. Miller has provided a plethora of accessible resources that help ordinary people become politically engaged citizens.
No Kings: No Kings has positioned itself as one of the most prominent organizers of nonviolent protests and displays of civil disobedience in the age of Trump-era politics. Their mission is simple: to provide the outlet and resources necessary to practice one of the United States’ foundational principles—that we are a democracy, not a monarchy, and no man is above the law.
Run for Something: Since 2017, Run for Something has made it its mission to recruit and support young progressives to run for political office. They provide tactical and strategic support, mentorship, and resources to help guide candidates on their way to becoming the next congressman, governor, or senator of their local community. Since their founding, they have helped elect over 600 candidates from every walk of life—from activists to doctors to college students.
Policy & Pedagogy and What’s On My Mind are reader-supported publications. For more articles on education and political advocacy, subscribe to our free Substack newsletter!
If you’d like to share this resource with others, consider our referral program. For every couple of people you refer to us, you can earn up to a six-month subscription to our paid newsletter for FREE!
Project 2025 Tracker lists those as “states, cities, counties, school board[s], principals, and teachers.”
Has been challenged and blocked by federal courts in at least 26 states, thus leaving the prior 2020 Title IX Rule intact.