Donald Trump has been very open with his attacks on public education, and he has made no secret about his goal to abolish the Department of Education.
To accomplish his goal, he is counting on you, and parents across the country, to be uninformed about the impact this will have on your day-to-day life.
Despite what Trump says, states and local districts are already in charge of their schools; what Trump is not saying is that Education Department funding helps states ensure all their kids have access to an education.
Funding from the Department of Education helps state and local districts fund every school. Without it, state and local districts will have to make up the costs covered by the federal government.
Take Action
- Write a letter to Congress
- Share your story
- Collect and amplify real-life stories from students, parents and educators to show how these cuts would hurt kids.
- Submit blog posts and writer stories for national amplification by emailing AFTvoices@aft.org.
- Submit an op-ed to your local newspaper. Click here to download a sample op-ed.
- Mobilize online
- Use #ProtectOurKids to share your message on social media.
- Download and share graphics, infographics, and videos from our digital toolkit.
Dismantling the Education Department will be a funding cut for every student:
- 26 million kids across every school district—rural, suburban and urban—will lose access to critical funding to help them get ahead.
- 12 million students will lose access to career and technical education, including pathways to well-paying jobs through apprenticeship programs in trades or STEM careers.
- 10 million students from lower-income families could lose access to two- and four-year colleges due to cost.
- 7.5 million students with Individualized Education Plans—accounting for 15 percent of all students nationally—will lose access to special education services funding.
Source: University of Michigan Poverty Solutions
Protect our Kids
The Protect Our Kids campaign is mobilizing educators, parents, students and community allies to fight against devastating cuts to public education. The Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and block grant federal education programs would strip critical funding from millions of students. This toolkit provides the resources you need to take action and defend our public schools. Every action in this campaign is rooted in strengthening—not undermining—our local public schools and ensuring that lawmakers prioritize kids over tax cuts.
Fact Sheets & Core Campaign Materials
- Protect Our Kids fact sheet
- Block Grants: An Old Mistake Masquerading as a New Solution
- State-by-state fact sheets on education cuts
- Project 2025’s Elimination of Title I
- Protect--Don’t Wreck--Higher Education in 2025