With school decrees, Trump is testing local school control

With a series of decrees, President Trump demonstrated that he had an appetite for a daring struggle to redo public education like his “anti-reverse” populist political movement.

But in a single country among the nations for its hyperloccal school control of schools, the effort is likely to encounter legal, logistical and financing problems because it tests the limits of federal power on the education of kindergarten in the 12th year.

Trump signed two decrees on Wednesday evening. One was a giant of 2,400 words focused mainly on the breed, sex and American history. He seeks to prevent schools from recognizing transgender identities or teaching concepts such as structural racism, “white privilege” and “unconscious prejudices”, threatening their federal funding.

The order also promotes “patriotic” education which describes the American foundation as “unifying, inspiring and ennobler” while explaining how the United States “has admirably come together with its noble principles throughout its history”.

The second order directs a band of federal agencies to seek means to extend access to good private schools.

The two orders echo a energy conservative legislature in the United States. Over the past five years, the number of children using dollars taxpayers for private training or home access costs has doubled. More than 20 states have limited how American breed, sex and history can be discussed in schools. States and school councils have prohibited thousands of books.