K-12 education plays a prominent role in two conservative policy agendas that shed light on what could change for public education if former President Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election.

Project 2025, a 900-page policy document assembled by a number of former Trump administration officials and other allies of the former president and helmed by the conservative Heritage Foundation, lays out a conservative plan of action for virtually every corner of the federal government. The Republican National Committee’s 2024 policy platform, meanwhile, outlines a set of 20 “promises” for 2024, written in all caps, as well as the party’s official positions for this year’s elections, albeit in substantially less detail than Project 2025.

Trump has endorsed the GOP’s platform, which was released this week ahead of the start of the 2024 Republican National Convention on July 15. But he has distanced himself from Project 2025, saying that some of its proposals are “absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”

When it comes to K-12 education, there are areas of clear alignment between the two documents.

Both propose eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, giving full oversight of schools to states. And they both endorse universal school choice, proposing an expansion of programs that allow families to access public dollars to pay for private school tuition and other education expenses outside of public schools.

The primary difference is that Project 2025 is much more extensive and outlines clear steps a conservative administration could take to achieve the goals it outlines.

Here’s a side-by-side look at what the two policy documents have to say on key education topics.

The U.S. Department of Education

Private school choice

Teacher pay

School funding

Parents’ rights

Curriculum

Religion in schools

Student discipline

Title IX

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