WASHINGTON – The Department of Education is not completely abandoning its impact despite the move to demolish the entire agency. They are also considering issuing a “toolkit” of suggestions for educators to draw inspiration to enhance their students' “excellence.”
The initiative is not a “order,” but it is a set of recommendations with examples of successful strategies for reading, AI and classroom discipline, and is already working in schools across the country.
“My goal then is to put together a toolkit that can be delivered to the state. …This is what works here. This is how it works,” McMahon said.
DOE recommendations also include contact information for educators behind successful strategies.
President Trump has become fluid under President Trump as he has dismantled the majority of government agencies and brought measures to educate him “back in the state” with less interference from the federal government.
Even with a shake-up, one goal from the federal level is to instill a culture of next generation of “excellence,” McMahon said.
Test scores jumped after the Covid-19 pandemic, with results for fourth and eighth graders still not recovered by 2022.
The Trump administration also has issues with the “awakening” curriculum taught in schools, with a focus on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and gender.
McMahon, who tours various schools offering a variety of learning techniques, said the “tool kit” is still one of the “most helpful” ways in which the department is still.
The science of reading
McMahon is particularly interested in focusing on the “science of reading” and spreading the word about teaching methods that children read from an early age.
“More than anything, I think it's going to spell out some of those programs, how to find them, or a reference to the best applications of these programs,” McMahon said.
She said “classical learning” methods for reading, mathematics and science have been successful in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
“What I'm seeing now is a huge return to classical learning,” she pointed out.
“We tried a lot. You know, you know, you know, I believe they ended with the best intentions, but they weren't successful.
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On artificial intelligence, McMahon cited First Lady Melania Trump's initiative to present students with their AI projects to the White House, pointing to the White House's support for children who are better equipped to use technology.
However, she said guardrails may need to be introduced to prevent fraudulent homework and essays through programs such as Chat GPT.
“It has all sorts of really good meanings, but some of the less good meanings start to appear. That's when they have to deal with it,” McMahon added.
Classroom safety and discipline
McMahon also believes that discipline and safety within the classroom are not discussed.
She believes discipline has deteriorated in recent years, and hears from educators who “do not feel like they have real control in the classroom.”
She denies this for her LAX policy that discouraged her from reporting fraud.
“There must be an impact on destructive behavior in the classroom to prevent other students from learning,” she said.
“And I think that's something that's sometimes overlooked, but that's a problem and teachers need to have the ability to have that control.”
While there is no obligation to school safety, the school board is more aware of this issue as the department can “take it to the forefront.”
The end of the day
However, McMahon said the greatest way the federal government can instill a culture of excellence is to ensure that students are accepted by their schools, not by their own merits, and not by diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
“Let's start with merit,” she said. “I'm not necessarily talking about getting into college, but let's make sure the programs offered in all of our schools encourage students to encourage them to rise to their abilities and to know what those abilities are.
The president continues to war with several Ivy League universities, including Columbia and Harvard, over curriculum and employment practices. Critics say that mentoring often supports liberal thinking, and employment and hospitalization depend on DEI policies and assignments.
McMahon believes the state will begin to compete with education. This is because the governor is trying to implement the best strategies to improve schools.
She hopes DOE's new toolkit will help jumpstart that competition.
Another factor is the choice of school. This is a policy Trump supports.
“The president is a strong advocate for parental involvement and parents' control over where their children go to school, so he is a strong advocate for school choice,” she said.
“He believes that children should not be trapped in a school where they fail, and schools that fail may be schools that don't feel safe,” explained McMahon.
“Parents need to have the ability to choose another school for this. With increasingly parental involvement and increasing control of their interactions with schools and school boards, we see that many of these policies will change.”
