Andrew J. Rotherham

2 weeks ago | aei.org | Nat Malkus |Frederick M. Hess |Andrew J. Rotherham

A lot has happened in the education world over the last few weeks. President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. The Trump administration has taken aggressive actions targeting elite universities and has threatened to withhold funding from K–12 schools over DEI programming. And the Department of Education said that states would lose nearly $3 billion in COVID relief funds after prior extensions on spending deadlines were rescinded.

1 month ago | aei.org | Nat Malkus |Frederick M. Hess |Andrew J. Rotherham

Last week, more than 1,300 individuals at the Department of Education were laid off, including over 300 at Federal Student Aid, nearly 250 at the Office for Civil Rights, and over 100 at the Institute of Education Sciences. All told, since Trump took office, the workforce at the Department of Education has been cut nearly in half. What is the operating strategy behind these cuts? What effect will these cuts have on schools? And what do these cuts tell us about the Trump administration’s plans?

May 21, 2024 | bellwether.org | Andrew J. Rotherham |Chad Aldeman |Lynne Graziano |Andy Jacob

When is someone considered an adult? Throughout modern American history, policymakers have usually addressed these questions piecemeal, without much regard for the standard they or their predecessors set on other issues. The result is a patchwork of policies on age restrictions without a clear set of guiding principles — mirroring society’s broader lack of clarity about what “adulting” means in 2024.