May 20th, 2025
Grant Priorities will Inform Department Discretionary Grant Programs
The U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced her first three proposed priorities for U.S. Department of Education (Department) discretionary grants: evidence-based literacy, expanding education choice, and returning education to the states. These will be used in grant competitions across the Department to address the urgent needs of our students, families, and states.
“Discretionary grants coming from the Department of Education will now be focused on meaningful learning and expanding choice, not divisive ideologies and unproven strategies,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “It is critical that we immediately address this year’s dismal reading and math scores by getting back to the basics, expanding learning options, and making sure decisions in education are made closest to the child.”
Secretary McMahon’s Supplemental Priorities have been published in the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period. Once all comments are received, summarized, and responded to, the Department will complete the rulemaking process by publishing a Notice of Final Priorities (NFP) that it will utilize to shape future discretionary grant competitions.
This is the fastest a Secretary of Education has released proposed grant priorities in the first year of an Administration. Secretary McMahon anticipates publishing additional priorities later this year.
Background:
The Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities are tools that allow the Administration to align discretionary grant competitions with its priorities.
The evidence-based literacy priority will promote literacy instruction based on evidence to ensure that proven methods based in the science of reading will be used to help our students learn to read.
The science of reading is a body of evidence-based research that proves the importance of providing direct, systematic, and explicit instruction based on phonological awareness, phonic decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension.
The expanding education choice priority will be used to expand access to education choice across all applicable discretionary grant competitions.
This priority provides a “menu” of options to choose from depending on a grant program’s purpose and goals. Options include expansion of charters, innovative school models, K-12 open enrollment, dissemination of information on choice options, implementation of ESAs, home based education, concurrent enrollment programs, career preparation, post secondary distance education, skills-based education, apprenticeships, work-based learning, accelerated learning and tutoring, etc.
The returning education to the states priority will enable the Department to prioritize state applicants in competitions where they qualify as eligible entities or can endorse other types of entities.
This priority will have the broadest applicability across grant programs. It will serve as a powerful tool to re-envision existing programs, reduce administrative burdens at the Department, and demonstrate that states are best positioned to manage these programs.
Under the Biden Administration, 4 out of 6 of the Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities advanced a discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology, infusing many grants programs with divisive race stereotypes and even racial quotas. Examples included:
Pushing student racial diversity through diversity plans, admissions policies, and technical assistance;
Embedding DEI in educational subjects and programs such as civics, STEM, and career and technical education;
Focusing on diversity amongst educators instead of sound teacher preparation;
Promoting social emotional learning; and
Supporting divisive school diversity and social justice policies. back...
The U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced her first three proposed priorities for U.S. Department of Education (Department) discretionary grants: evidence-based literacy, expanding education choice, and returning education to the states. These will be used in grant competitions across the Department to address the urgent needs of our students, families, and states.
“Discretionary grants coming from the Department of Education will now be focused on meaningful learning and expanding choice, not divisive ideologies and unproven strategies,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “It is critical that we immediately address this year’s dismal reading and math scores by getting back to the basics, expanding learning options, and making sure decisions in education are made closest to the child.”
Secretary McMahon’s Supplemental Priorities have been published in the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period. Once all comments are received, summarized, and responded to, the Department will complete the rulemaking process by publishing a Notice of Final Priorities (NFP) that it will utilize to shape future discretionary grant competitions.
This is the fastest a Secretary of Education has released proposed grant priorities in the first year of an Administration. Secretary McMahon anticipates publishing additional priorities later this year.
Background:
The Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities are tools that allow the Administration to align discretionary grant competitions with its priorities.
The evidence-based literacy priority will promote literacy instruction based on evidence to ensure that proven methods based in the science of reading will be used to help our students learn to read.
The science of reading is a body of evidence-based research that proves the importance of providing direct, systematic, and explicit instruction based on phonological awareness, phonic decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension.
The expanding education choice priority will be used to expand access to education choice across all applicable discretionary grant competitions.
This priority provides a “menu” of options to choose from depending on a grant program’s purpose and goals. Options include expansion of charters, innovative school models, K-12 open enrollment, dissemination of information on choice options, implementation of ESAs, home based education, concurrent enrollment programs, career preparation, post secondary distance education, skills-based education, apprenticeships, work-based learning, accelerated learning and tutoring, etc.
The returning education to the states priority will enable the Department to prioritize state applicants in competitions where they qualify as eligible entities or can endorse other types of entities.
This priority will have the broadest applicability across grant programs. It will serve as a powerful tool to re-envision existing programs, reduce administrative burdens at the Department, and demonstrate that states are best positioned to manage these programs.
Under the Biden Administration, 4 out of 6 of the Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities advanced a discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology, infusing many grants programs with divisive race stereotypes and even racial quotas. Examples included:
Pushing student racial diversity through diversity plans, admissions policies, and technical assistance;
Embedding DEI in educational subjects and programs such as civics, STEM, and career and technical education;
Focusing on diversity amongst educators instead of sound teacher preparation;
Promoting social emotional learning; and
Supporting divisive school diversity and social justice policies. back...
