By: Christian Bateman
How the president’s policies are changing the American educational system
The Biden administration is off to a strong start. Since entering office, the president has re-entered the United States into the Paris Climate Accord and disseminated the COVID-19 vaccine more effectively than any other major world superpower. In April, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, a 1.9 trillion dollar stimulus package intended to improve the lives of Americans struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Biden’s most notable reforms are revolutionizing a different sector: education. While ambitious, Biden’s policies on education are carefully designed and could change the landscape of education in the United States forever.
Biden has already provided K-12 school districts with substantial financial resources. He has allocated over 123 billion dollars for public school districts around the country, which they will be able to use over the course of the next three and a half years. Through the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration has granted nearly ten times more funding to public school districts than the Trump administration provided in the CARES act last March. This funding will be particularly useful for struggling school districts that failed to provide high quality education during the pandemic. Biden has made K-12 education a top priority.
In addition, Biden has also proposed major plans to address early childhood education in the near future. The American Families Plan is a 1.5 trillion dollar proposal which Biden will release in late April. The proposed bill, which some have deemed overly “ambitious,” would allocate roughly 225 billion dollars to child-care support, 225 billion dollars to paid family and medical leave, and 200 billion dollars to universal pre-K education. Considering that about 30% of children in the United States do not receive education before kindergarten, as it is often too expensive or inaccessible, such a proposal could drastically improve the lives of families across America. With his proposal, Biden targets early education in a way that an American president has yet to do: both the Bush and Obama administrations talked about the importance of early childhood education but failed to create noticeable change. Biden is finally taking the bull by its horns on this issue.
Higher education is also on Biden’s agenda. While progressive politicians such as Elizabeth Warren have voiced support for policies of student-debt forgiveness of up to $50,000, Biden is taking a more moderate and realistic approach, seeking a $10,000 policy in student debt forgiveness. The impacts could be significant, as 69% of college students are in debt. It is clear that a policy such as Biden’s would assist millions of Americans by encouraging more students to attend college and better positioning them financially to further their education through graduate programs.
The Biden administration has prioritized education in a way that no other U.S president has done in recent history. However, his ambitious policies will require bipartisan cooperation. If Republicans continue to maintain senseless policies of “responsible spending” without recognizing the benefits of his plan, Biden may well have to compromise. Nonetheless, President Biden is an experienced politician and has a storied career of bipartisan cooperation. If he takes a meticulous bipartisan approach when bringing his policies to the floor, he could change education in the United States for the better.
American Families Plan mission as outlined by the First Focus on Children organization.
Biden plans on tackling $1.6 billion worth of student debt. WSJ