The State of Education: Five Key Takeaways From the 2025 NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit
In May, elected officials, advocates, and industry-area experts gathered in Atlanta for the annual NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit. The gathering came less than two months after President Trump signed an executive order seeking to dismantle the Department of Education and participants discussed how to navigate the rapidly changing education landscape while communicating clearly with local schools, parents, and community partners. Their conversation takes on renewed relevance following the recent Supreme Court decision that allows the Administration to move ahead with mass layoffs at the Department, as well as the Administration’s effort to withhold $6.8 billion in federal funding appropriated for schools.
Here are five takeaways from those discussions:
1. Remember the mission of education: As education becomes increasingly politicized and polarized, Georgia State Senator Elena Parent shared how so-called “culture war” bills have flooded the education landscape in recent years, often pulling attention away from legislation that will produce positive change.
Key Takeaway: Stay focused and avoid the “performative stuff that has nothing to do with the hard work of educating kids.” This doesn’t mean abandoning the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the face of “blatantly unconstitutional and internally completely dissonant" bills, but remembering that “one of the things that we have to focus on as Democrats is keeping the north star of trying to do the work for kids.” For example, that means prioritizing high quality instruction in literacy and math and ensuring every student has access to grade-level instruction, rather than fighting battles about values and vision statements.
2. Education policy belongs to the states, not the federal government: There’s a common myth that should be widely debunked, said Amanda Miller, President of Seventh Street Strategies and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Higher Education Programs. “Education policy has always been in the hands of the people in this room, not the people in Washington,” Miller said. “But you would not see that from watching the news.”
Key Takeaway: Remind constituents that education decisions have always been led by state and local policymakers. Further, the actions of the Trump administration are not about returning education to the states, but rather they are using that rhetoric as a pretext to slash funding that helps all students, like programs for teacher training.
3. Avoid the “chilling effect”: Miller noted that this is a frightening time for many school leaders who are unsure what actions by the Trump administration are legally binding and which are not, a tactic she referred to as “getting to the policy change without having to do the hard work of passing laws.”
Key Takeaway: Leaders should connect with their local school districts to help explain what is law and what is just “the administration throwing everything at you,” Miller said. As others at the conference noted, Executive Orders are not laws and cannot overturn laws. Further, many speakers warned against pre-emptive compliance, or complying with imagined or stated demands that do not have the force of law. The Administration is intentionally pushing the boundaries of lawful action; states and local leaders must view their actions with skepticism and proceed with essential work to help all students learn.
4. Not all school choice lets everyone choose: Legislation for private school choice vouchers has moved forward in many states and federally, but these limited bills don’t offer enough money for every student to have a fair shot at choosing their education and seem designed instead to subsidize families who currently send their children to private school. “There simply isn't the funding to do the true choice writ large,” Parent explained, “If you're going to be honest about it and have every kid go where they want, then sign me up, but you're not going to appropriate that money, so you're just ruining what we have.” Misconceptions about school choice vouchers arise because until the public schools get better, everyone is going to be looking for an alternative even if it's not the right alternative.
Key Takeaway: Elected officials should focus on recruiting qualified teachers and making proactive changes to improve public schools. The majority of students still and will attend public schools, and that is where the greatest need resides.
5. Shift the narrative: This period of disruption can be an opportunity for Democrats to communicate with constituents and regain the public’s trust in education policy. Improving our schools requires both political and cultural change, and much of that starts with our teachers. “The reality is that we don't have a system that was set up to attract the best and the brightest to the classroom, nor do we want to pay that way,” Parent said.
Key Takeaway: Stop making excuses and reclaim the education mantle. “Making excuses is not going to help us; we’re very identified with a resistance to change,” Parent said. “You can't just default to ‘this is how we always did it and all we need is more money.’” Those in the public eye can help reshape perceptions about the teaching profession to uplift current and future generations of qualified educators. In a time of chaos, state and local officials have the opportunity to show themselves to be steady, competent, and caring leaders.