Trump Is Putting K-12 ‘On Notice.’ Here Are 3 Steps for Education Companies to Weather Rapid Change

The Trump administration is putting K-12 education “on notice,” and education companies need to be attuned to both the blunt and more subtle messages coming out of the White House.

In an EdWeek Market Brief webinar this week, three guests delved into the impact that the rapid-fire executive orders and other directives issued by President Donald Trump are having on school districts and the organizations serving them, and where things may be headed next.

Since taking office, the administration’s actions on education have included freezing — then unfreezing — federal grants, working to implement steep tariffs on imported goods, calling on schools to end all programs with “racial preferences,” and canceling millions of dollars of contracts at the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm.

Most recently, the federal official who oversees a key measure of the country’s academic performance — the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP — was abruptly placed on administrative leave.

Some of these actions have immediate implications for the education space, in instances where districts have struggled to access federal funds after the freezes on grants were reversed, and research projects across the country were halted as contracts were terminated.

Others have had less of an effect because they were walked back by the administration, blocked by legal challenges, or hindered by confusion about what, exactly, schools are being asked to do.

The first thing education companies should understand about the rush of executive actions is that bringing about actual, immediate change isn’t necessarily the point of the administration’s efforts, said David DeSchryver, senior vice president of Whiteboard Advisors, an education-focused consulting firm.

It’s about sending a message, he said.

“It’s a lot of table-setting,” DeSchryver said. “It’s really putting everyone on notice that this administration is certainly doing everything it can … to direct investments to align with their vision.”

Here are three steps that the guests on EdWeek Market Brief’s webinar said product and service providers in the market should think about taking to help them and their district clients navigate the turbulence coming out of the nation’s capital.

1. Change How You Think About Grant Wins

Education companies and districts that receive federal grants may need to rethink how they talk about using those dollars, DeSchryver said.

There is a national shift in how federal money is being prioritized, he said, moving away from an emphasis on benefitting individual students or student subgroups to benefitting the collective.

Sticking to the latter approach may help ensure that a school district’s goals align with federal interests. The Trump administration has repeatedly condemned DEI, or diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, which it sees as giving an unfair preference to students of color.

“The way we frame the use of those dollars is very important,” he said.

2. Focus On Local ROI

While national priorities are in flux, companies should stay focused on their district clients, the student achievement they are striving for, and the information that their communities value, said DeSchryver.

Companies should help school districts communicate with parents and other stakeholders about how money is being used and the returns they are seeing on those investments.

That transparency helps ensure there are no misunderstandings or assumptions being made about the district’s spending or overall goals.

“Reduce that risk by being really clear about what is being spent to [do] what, the benefit, and how it’s done on an annual basis,” DeSchryver said.

As for the national direction for education, the cuts to education research and the uncertainty around the future of the NAEP exam — often called “the nation’s report card” — are sending a clear signal of the administration’s priorities, said Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, president and CEO of Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit advocacy organization that helps state and school district leaders use education data effectively.

Through these actions, education companies can get an idea of “what’s important or what’s not important about understanding student achievement” to the federal government.

“It’s sending a message that we are not as concerned about how all of our students are doing,” she said. Or “in making sure they are proficient in 4th grade.”

3. Draw Lessons From The States

Much of what the Trump administration is talking about is not new, DeSchryver pointed out.

There are many areas of the country where state and local school district leaders’ views align closely with Trump’s — as judged by recent policies they’ve adopted — such as in Florida and Alabama. School districts and vendors working in those markets have been navigating sweeping changes in K-12 policy for years, including expansions to school choice and restrictions on race and gender-focused lessons.

There could be some good lessons to be learned from them, DeSchryver said.

Its critical for states — many of which are already deep into their legislative sessions — to keep doing the work that they always do, Bell-Ellwanger said, such as setting K-12 policy and managing district funding.

Still, she encourages companies to be patient with both state and school district clients, who are trying to adjust to changes coming out of Washington. Some processes — or even payments — may take longer while state and local staff look for clarification from federal workers or face new hurdles in accessing grants.

“They are trying to navigate very confusing times right now,” she said.