Donald Trump Signs Executive Orders in the Oval Office - January 30, 2025

In the 10 days since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he has set a dizzying pace for his second term and is endeavoring to make his mark on the nation’s schools, despite laws limiting the federal government’s K-12 reach.

His most direct efforts to dive into education came Wednesday, when the president issued two executive orders, directing federal agencies to determine how to expand school choice and develop a strategy to end what he considers “radical indoctrination” in schools.

Both orders put federal dollars on the line to hammer home his agenda. With existing law, though, the White House has no bearing on curriculum, and no unilateral ability to pull back funding from individual schools or federal education programs