Education: Comparing 2024 Republican presidential candidates' policies

(NewsNation) — Education has increasingly become a battleground for culture wars in the past year, as several 2024 Republican presidential candidates seek to reform public education and give parents more rights over curriculum decisions.

Dismantling the Department of Education, making changes to curriculum and education standards and questioning the allowance of transgender athletes to compete in sports with members of their identified gender are just some of the issues that have been raised on the 2024 Republican primary campaign trail.

Ahead of the 2024 election, NewsNation is committed to covering the issues that matter most to voters so they can make the most informed choices possible at the polls. To that end, we have broken down the political views of each candidate in our voter guide.

Here is a comparative look at the 2024 Republican presidential candidates’ stated policies on education and parental rights:

Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump says he plans to shut down the Department of Education and give parents final say on what he calls a “pro-American education.”
Wants to cut federal funding for schools and programs teaching Critical Race Theory and gender theories.
Create a new system to certify teachers who “embrace patriotic values.”
Drastically cut the “bloated” number of school administrators, including the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion teams.
Have parents directly elect school principals and adopt a “Parental Bill of Rights”
Trump would get rid of teacher tenure for K-12 and adopt merit-based pay.

Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came into the national spotlight after pushing back on what he calls “woke” ideology in Florida schools.
He approved legislation forbidding instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for K-12 students.
Signed a bill blocking public colleges from using federal or state funding on diversity programs.
Under DeSantis, the Florida Board of Education banned critical race theory from public schools, reportedly blocking more than 40% of math textbooks submitted for review, for violating the ban.
In July, the Florida Board of Education approved a revised Black history curriculum that included instruction that enslaved people benefitted from the skills they learned. DeSantis insisted he wasn’t involved in the changes, but defended the material. Critics like Vice President Kamala Harris called the standards “revisionist history.”

Nikki Haley

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley promised to “neuter” the U.S. Department of Education by reducing its size and giving parents more say in classrooms.
She argued eliminating the department altogether, as some candidates proposed, would face long odds. Instead, Haley plans to send its funding to states in the form of block grants.
Haley also supports increased transparency in the classroom, saying, “Every parent, regardless of their education, regardless of where they’re from, knows what’s best for their child.”
Criticizes the practice of allowing transgender girls to compete in female sports, falsely linking an increase in suicidal thoughts among girls with issues of trans athletes.
Called the debate over transgender athletes “the women’s issue of our time.”

Vivek Ramaswamy

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has said American citizens between 18 and 24 should be required to pass a civics test in order to vote, similar to the test taken by those going through the process of naturalization.
He has proposed raising the minimum voting age to 25 unless young adults pass the civics test or serve in the military.
Ramaswamy has also called for the elimination of the Department of Education, saying the $80 in funding should be sent back to the localities.
He has also called to eliminate teachers’ unions so public schools can “once again compete with private schools and charter schools.”Ramaswamy has railed against what he calls “woke culture” which he says has “infected” schools and led to the indoctrination of children.

Chris Christie

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed education culture wars, saying the government is not “a better parent than parents,” in an interview with USA TODAY.
Christie took a jab at first lady Jill Biden’s status as a member of a teachers union, saying, “This public school system is no longer run by the public. It is run by the teachers unions in this country.”
He has also gone after DeSantis over his response to the Florida Board of Education’s new standards for how African American history will be taught in schools.

Asa Hutchinson

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has focused on a push for computer science education in his state.
“I will make sure we go from 51% of our schools offering computer science to every school in rural areas and urban areas offering computer science for the benefit of our kids,” Hutchinson said in the first GOP debate.
In 2022, he proposed an increase to public school funding by $550 million over the next two years to raise teacher pay.