White House Shifts Education Control to States and Parents

Education Secretary Linda McMahon, alongside President Donald Trump, announced a new policy to return educational control to states and parents. This move, revealed in the Rose Garden on August 24, 2026, intends to restructure the nation’s school system. The policy aims to dismantle federal micromanagement and prioritize parental rights. It reallocates billions of dollars from DEI programs directly to classrooms and provides states with waivers to circumvent federal bureaucracy.

The Trump administration also proposed regulations targeting private schools and colleges using race in admissions and scholarships. These measures, suggested by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service, seek to remove tax-exempt status from institutions engaged in race-conscious initiatives. Administration officials claim these actions counter discrimination against white students, previously favored over students of color.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, “Rebranding race-based preferences as equitable or inclusive does not change their discriminatory nature.” This proposal aligns with the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions, which restricted most race-conscious admission policies.

The rules affect admissions, scholarships, athletics, and other school programs that consider race or ethnicity.

The proposed regulations could impact about 18,000 schools and 750,000 students eligible for race-based scholarships. However, religious schools remain exempt, permitted to select students based on religious criteria. The new rules allow schools to aid disadvantaged students using race-neutral factors such as income or geography.

A public comment period precedes implementation, and legal challenges are anticipated. The American Association of University Professors, advocating for academic freedom, considers litigating this proposal. AAUP President Todd Wolfson commented, “This is not neutral enforcement of civil-rights law… It reverses protections designed to dismantle racial exclusion.”

The administration’s focus since President Trump’s return in January 2025 has been removing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies across K-12 and higher education. Efforts also targeted race-based admissions, scholarships, and alleged campus antisemitism, especially at institutions like Harvard University.