OCTOBER 2024

Hidden in Plain Sight: How the 2024 Election Will Shape Federal Education Policy

Andrew J. Rotherham, Lynne Graziano, Sharmila Mann, Juliet Squire, and Andy Jacob

Introduction

How will the results of the 2024 election cycle affect federal education policy and education more generally? This analysis offers a best guess, based on the latest polling data and Bellwether research. Amid all the uncertainty in the final weeks of the campaign, and the lack of clarity from both presidential candidates on many issuesare some clear trends that will matter regardless of who wins.

Although education has not been a major campaign issue, educational attainment is an increasingly stark dividing line between Democrats and Republicans. Voters have clear opinions on what they would like to see leaders prioritize when it comes to schools. And beneath a long list of disagreements are some places Kamala Harris and Donald Trump seem to agree — ideas that could garner enough bipartisan support to see movement over the next two years.

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