Texas is at the center of a significant shift in education policies.  Fragile compromises present between state extreme political right wing groups, some Texas Republican leaders,  and the Texas federal government as to how  children are taught, what they learn, and even who's teaching them.  Parents who align with the political right feel confident that President Trump's recent education orders are a step in the right direction.  Yet opponents are already pointing out potential problems.  A major concern is that conservative education policies coming down the pipeline might divide parents and teachers, might not be beneficial to all students, and create a feared intimidating environment for school staff.

        Trump's orders generally line up with the education policies Texas already supports. The state is focusing both on removing talk about  race and sex from  classrooms and promoting patriotic lessons and religious teachings.  This is energizing conservative advocates and religious freedom organizations who has long been campaigning for these changes.

        But are Texan school districts ready?

        Private school money is at the forefront of these changes.   In Texas Texas Republican leaders want to expand private, religious and home schools using public school funding. This is much easier to say than do. Local property taxes and state funds already make up most of a public school's budget, with Federal funding coming in at a mere 10%.

        Texas Republicans are receiving tremendous political and financial support to promote school vouchers, such as setting aside $300, 000, 000  for public funding to fall 2026-2027. This will increase annually by $3. 75, 000, 000  dollars 2030. This is a confusing mix, with some schools in Texas pushing for more religious influence despite teachers  showing major concerns about the new policies and some school staffs having already spoken negatively and warned about these rules.

        Conservatives are not just trying to make public schools more religious. They're tired of how schools are talking about race and gender. Conservatives see the potential for using federal funding or educational programs for illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in schools.  The law prohibits teaching certain views about race and race-related issues.  They want schools to publicly acknowledge race as only as being harmful by showing race not being a part of American life.

        While these changes are huge, the biggest determining factor in learning remains the classroom. The idea is that parents should have more of a say in their kids' educations, including where they go to school and what they learn.  Trump and Texas Republicans are trying to push these policies to schools across the country. But how this plays out in Texas is uncertain.  Students are the ones  who will be most affected by these changes.  How might they view this change?

School Changes On The Horizon For Texas

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