Feb 21, 2025 Story by: Editor
During her confirmation hearing, Linda McMahon, the nominee for education secretary, called teaching “one of the most noble professions in our country” and expressed support for workforce development initiatives.
However, the department she aims to lead has unexpectedly rescinded more than $600 million in grants for training teachers, particularly in high-need schools.
Among the canceled grants is a $3.38 million allocation to Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where McMahon serves on the Board of Trustees. The funding was dedicated to recruiting special education teachers and improving STEM instruction.
The university was one of 20 recipients of a Teacher Quality Partnership grant, a program designed to build a more diverse educator workforce. Under the Biden administration, several grant recipients directed the $70 million allocated in 2024 toward recruiting and training educators from underrepresented backgrounds. However, these objectives have now clashed with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
“Without warning all funds were swept, thus all employees on the grant were terminated without cause or warning,” Erin Ramirez, an associate professor at California State University Monterey Bay, stated in an email.
Ramirez explained that her university’s $5.7 million grant was “illegally terminated.” The funding supported an alternative teacher preparation program aimed at attracting 1,350 residents from California’s central region into teaching roles within their local districts. The revocation of funds, including $3.76 million in scholarships, is expected to lead to increased class sizes, higher teacher turnover, and “exacerbates existing workforce shortages and economic instability,” according to a summary Ramirez provided.
In letters sent to grantees last week, Mark Washington, the department’s deputy assistant secretary for management and planning, justified the cancellations by stating that the grants were “inconsistent with, and no longer effectuates, department priorities” and could potentially “unlawfully discriminate” based on race or other characteristics.
A press release issued Monday, February 17, by the department outlined concerns over activities it deemed objectionable, such as training materials including inappropriate and unnecessary topics such as Critical Race Theory; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); social justice activism; “anti-racism”; and instruction on white privilege and white supremacy. Grantees have been given until March 12 to challenge the decision.
Also affected were Supporting Effective Educator Development grants, which aimed to train highly effective educators. Among those impacted were TNTP, a nonprofit that sought to prepare nearly 750 teachers for roles in Austin, Baltimore, and the Clark County school districts, as well as Tulane University, which was addressing a teacher shortage in New Orleans schools.
“Not only does it feel like chaos, it just feels disheartening,” said Libby Bain, executive director of talent at New Schools for New Orleans, an organization involved in the grant program. The funding supported approximately 300 high school students in nine schools who were earning credits toward an education major in college. She also noted that summer school might need to be canceled because the grant paid for aspiring teachers to work as tutors for additional experience.
“They’re going into a field that already feels hard to go into,” Bain added. “Now this thing that they were so excited about at 17 or 18 is being taken away.”
The grants, originally issued for three years in 2022 and set to expire in September, were cut short under the department’s argument that education law permits early termination if they no longer align with administration goals. However, some grantees plan to appeal, and Julia Martin, director of policy and government affairs at the Bruman Group, a Washington law firm, remarked, “We’ll likely see some litigation.”
The Next Generation of Teachers
Both grant programs provided financial support for aspiring teachers through scholarships and stipends, particularly those training in high-cost urban areas. Universities and nonprofits frequently used these funds to recruit teachers for critical subjects like math and special education. The grants also funded research staff who evaluated which preparation strategies, such as mentorship, were most effective in retaining new teachers.
“I have a lot of concerns over what’s going to happen to aspiring teachers in areas where we already had local teaching shortages,” said Kathlene Campbell, CEO of the National Center for Teacher Residencies, which lost a $6.3 million grant.
The center was collaborating with 13 organizations, including several historically Black colleges and universities across four states. Campbell noted that some students might be unable to complete their programs without financial assistance for tuition and fees. She was also assessing how many staff members had lost their jobs due to the funding cuts.
“If we lose the people who are preparing the next generation of teachers, as well as a significant portion of aspiring teachers, we could see a really big problem in a couple of years,” she warned.
These programs aimed to tackle various challenges in K-12 classrooms. According to the Learning Policy Institute, over 400,000 teaching positions last year were either vacant or filled by uncredentialed personnel.
Meanwhile, public school demographics continue to shift. By 2030, Hispanic students are projected to constitute one-third of total enrollment. Between 2012 and 2022, the percentage of white and Black students declined, while Asian students and those identifying as multiracial increased. Studies have shown that a diverse teaching workforce benefits students of all races, leading to improved math and reading scores. Additionally, Black students who have Black teachers are more likely to graduate and less likely to be placed in special education programs.
The education department’s decision to pull funding preceded its Friday “dear colleague” letter, warning school districts that any actions perceived as promoting DEI initiatives would not be tolerated.
In the letter, Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, cautioned schools against “using race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” He also encouraged individuals who believe certain programs violate anti-discrimination laws to file complaints with the Office for Civil Rights.
Campbell, from the teacher residency group, argued that there is a misunderstanding about how these programs approach diversity.
“Individuals who come from a different socioeconomic status are now able to become teachers when they didn’t think they could afford to do so,” she explained.
Stephanie Cross, an assistant professor at Georgia State University, whose program was preparing teachers for Atlanta Public Schools, asserted that their initiative did not discriminate against anyone based on race.
The broader shift in federal education policy aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order issued on his first day in office. While this explains the department’s opposition to these grants, some critics question their effectiveness in the first place. Chad Aldeman, a researcher specializing in teacher workforce issues, remarked that the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development programs “aren’t exactly screaming cost-effectiveness.”
One example he cited was a $9.5 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant in South Carolina intended to train just 60 teachers and administrators.
“With this kind of money, the more effective route would probably be paying people directly,” Aldeman suggested. “My preference would be paying in-service teachers who demonstrate strong results and are serving in hard-to-staff roles, rather than focusing on the supply side.”
However, Bain, from New Orleans, argued that while higher salaries might attract individuals to teaching, they alone are unlikely to ensure long-term retention.
The cancellation of these grants also appears inconsistent with other actions from the administration and Trump’s congressional allies. Notably, Trump nominated former Tennessee education chief Penny Schwinn, a proponent of “grow-your-own” teacher training initiatives, to serve as deputy education secretary.
Tennessee pioneered a registered teacher apprenticeship program, later adopted by 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. At the time, Schwinn emphasized that the initiative would “remove barriers to becoming an educator for people from all backgrounds.”
During McMahon’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, also underscored the urgency of increasing the teaching workforce.
“We need teachers,” he said. “We need people in the classroom teaching these kids. Hold them accountable and put more money in the teachers and less money in administrators. I think we’d be a heck of a lot better off.”
Source: MSN
