Our team urged readers to take a look at the work of Linda McMahon’s America First Policy Institute (AFPI) when it comes to forecasting the Trump administration’s education agenda. In recent years, the organization has published a number of in-depth policy briefs, proposals, and analyses on a wide range of education topics. Of course, this week’s nomination brings renewed focus on the organization’s work and agenda.

So, can AFPI’s America First Agenda offer clues about what lies ahead for both K-12 and higher education?

On the K-12 front, AFPI’s agenda emphasizes “empowering parents to make the best education decisions for their families.” The Institute has advocated for school choice and microschooling, and called for the elimination of school district boundaries so that parents can choose from a broader array of educational options. 

The organization has been especially active at the state level, and would likely support increased state flexibility, which may be welcome news for local leaders on both sides of the aisle.

AFPI has also called on parents and teachers to work together to help “students obtain the life skills needed to be successful in their careers and communities.” What sort of skills are specifically called out? In addition to major areas of emphasis like early literacy, AFPI has pushed to prioritize financial literacy, critical thinking, and digital literacy—all topics that have received bipartisan support in recent years.

AFPI, whose research suggests that a whopping 84% of parents want access to curriculum materials, has called on states to pass curriculum transparency legislation that would require information about curricula and instructional materials to be posted online or otherwise made accessible to parents. To date, more than a dozen states have passed such laws, according to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Perhaps we will see a push toward greater transparency for K-12 at the federal level, as well.

When it comes to higher education, McMahon has been an advocate for expanded Pell Grant eligibility to include workforce training programs. In September, she authored an op-ed to help make the case for “Workforce Pell” in The Hill. 

Expect an emphasis on leveling the playing field between “faster, cheaper alternatives” and traditional institutions of higher education, including flexibility that would allow federal dollars to go toward short-term credentials, apprenticeships, and industry certifications. 

  • Notably, the Institute has made the case for fixing a “dysfunctional higher ed accreditation system” that favors incumbent providers and can inhibit innovation. It has introduced a range of ideas; among them, fostering competition and specialization among regional accreditors. Expect an increased emphasis on outcomes-based approaches to evaluating programs and, ultimately, qualifying providers for federal funding (a topic that I have written about once or twice before).
  • AFPI is among the growing number of organizations focused on “degree inflation” or upcredentialing, the practice of requiring college degrees for jobs that historically haven’t needed them. They point to research indicating that 75% of job postings now require a bachelor’s degree, while only 40% of potential applicants have one.
  • Of course, the push toward a greater emphasis on skills vs. degrees isn’t new, and it has garnered bipartisan support. In fact, three liberal Senators introduced a bill that would codify a Trump-era executive order removing college degree requirements from federal job postings into law. Organizations like Opportunity@Work, which advocates for pathways to high-wage employment for the 70 million Americans who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs), have likewise supported similar legislation at the state level.

So, will McMahon oversee a dramatic restructuring or even elimination of the Education Department (which requires Congressional support)? Who among the growing number of state and local officials up for consideration will fill out other key roles? If the Department is reorganized, which departments might absorb the current federal education programs? And what role might ED or another agency play in a federal tax credit scholarship program (which could occur through budget reconciliation.

Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

This article is sourced from the opening letter of Whiteboard Notes, our weekly newsletter of the latest education policy and industry news read by thousands of education leaders, investors, grantmakers, and entrepreneurs. Subscribe here.