Biden Administration’s Education Platform is a Step in the Right Direction
SERENA LIN (Opinions Editor)
During the Trump administration, education policy was simple: cut funding, attack public schools and ignore Obama-era guidelines that protect student rights, from sexual misconduct policies to gun control. Now, President Biden inherits an education system that, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, lags behind the average of the rest of the world in math and fares only slightly better in English and science, all consequences compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. His education platform remains insistently optimistic, however. While many of his goals are unrealistic, it is an absolute improvement from the education policy seen over the last four years.
The first and most obvious hurdle that Biden is required to jump through in terms of education is how to reopen schools, or at the very least improve schooling in a pandemic. Biden has made it clear that it is his goal to fully reopen schools within the first 100 days of his presidency; however, this promise falls flat in the face of surging cases and continuing deaths. Its value lies in the fact that Biden seems more interested in ending the pandemic for schools, instead of his predecessor’s approach of forcing schools to open on the pain of losing federal funding. Biden emphasizes scientific reopenings, which is only rational in a time where science is the solution to the pandemic. It is this clear-cut use of scientific expertise instead of political blustering that his predecessor was partial to that makes it valuable despite its unrealism.
Other major concerns, such as the racial chasm for educational achievement, have a shot at being improved with Biden’s administration, another reason why his platform is so beneficial. The difference in achievement and opportunity for black versus white students, for example, has always existed. It is true that such a deep-rooted issue probably cannot be changed within a single presidency, but Biden has taken steps that will have long-term effects on alleviating the problem. Installing people of color in the Board of Education, such as Miguel Cardona or Michelle Asha Cooper, who are also advocates for education equity, is a big step toward change. This is especially true in an age where racial injustice has become a priority debate in American politics, Biden’s choices for a diverse and liberal Board of Education is a welcome sign of future changes in education that may bridge the opportunity gap for minority students.
Biden will undoubtedly have a difficult time adjusting the educational system in the midst of a pandemic and the general difficulties that come with deadlocked politics. Despite the ambitious nature of his goals, they move toward a direction which suggests that education can continue to improve with more time. This is what makes his educational platform so necessary. The possibility of just a little improvement is far better than ignoring the damage that American education has taken.