A Detroit educator recently told a congressional committee he is "terrified" at what a second Trump term as president could bring for America's public schools.
Rodney Fresh, a high school social studies teacher in Detroit, said parts of the Republican agenda appear to call for dismantling the public education system. He added the transition plan known as Project 2025 would "kick the ladder out from under" students who need it the most and eliminate the federal Department of Education.
"Why do they want to weaken public schools? If you ask me, it's because they fear what public schools do - we teach critical thinking, honest history and tolerance - and because diverse, educated citizens threaten their power," he asked.
Project 2025 is a 900-page blueprint by the conservative Heritage Foundation for reorganizing the federal government under a Republican administration. It calls for privatizing the public school system and cutting funding for more than 180,000 teaching positions.
Former President Donald Trump has denied any connection to the plan.
Fresh, who is a second-generation instructor, teaches ninth-grade U.S. history, 11th-grade world history and Advanced Placement African American studies. He warned that under Project 2025, classes on African American history would be censored, help for students with disabilities would be eliminated, and programs like Head Start, one of the most successful preschool programs of its kind, would be cut.
"This would shut off access to high-quality early childhood education for students in Detroit. It would also take away a lifeline many parents count on to give their kids a real opportunity and fair shot at overcoming poverty," Fresh added.
Fresh told members of the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee that under the plan's guidelines, millions of public school students whose families can't afford to send them to private schools would be deprived of the benefits of a quality public education.
"We can and must do better for the sake of our students. We cannot - and I repeat - we cannot allow Project 2025 to dismantle public education and destroy such an essential pillar of our democracy," he said.
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Many Massachusetts educators are denouncing the growing chorus of anti-immigrant rhetoric this election season.
They cited an uptick in reports of bullying and concern among immigrant parents about whether their children are safe at school.
Jessica Lander, a civics and history teacher at Lowell High School, said there is nothing partisan about standing up for students.
"We are sending a profound message to our students with the silence that they are not welcome, that they are not safe, that they don't belong," Lander asserted.
Lander argued immigrant students bring a tremendous amount of perseverance, grit and skills from living in multiple cultures, which inspires others to learn. Roughly 3,000 new immigrant students living in the state's emergency shelter system enrolled in more than seventy school districts statewide last year.
Lander has traveled the country meeting with immigrant students and educators developing innovative ways to help them succeed. In her book, "Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education," Lander highlights a program in Lawrence, helping integrate immigrant parents into the school community. Other schools, she pointed out, are partnering with hospitals and local businesses to support a community approach to public education.
"Our students have so many strengths that we value in colleges and careers that I don't necessarily know that we are identifying or telling our students that we value even if we do value them," Lander explained.
Lander noted schools can often take a deficit approach to learning, meaning teachers look at the kids for what they lack rather than the skills they already have. An example, she emphasized, is in English as a Second Language. She recalled a former student from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who struggled to learn English but already knew nine other languages. She stressed schools are re-imagining what immigrant education looks like and it is important for educators to have the ability to learn from one another about what works best.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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