Defining Schooling from the Top: Analyzing Trump’s Second Term Executive Orders in K–12 Education

• In Event: Analyzing Policy Through Critical Research Methods

Abstract

This ongoing study critically analyzes executive orders from the Trump administration’s second term that target K–12 education. Using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) reflexive thematic analysis, it examines how these directives reshape public education through ideological narratives, shifts in federal authority, and efforts to redefine democratic participation. The analysis highlights recurring patterns such as the promotion of patriotic education, the framing of dissent as disorder, and the conditional inclusion of marginalized groups. By linking federal discourse to classroom-level impacts, the current study reveals how executive power is used to reinforce cultural conformity and suppress pluralism in public schooling. Findings underscore the urgent need to scrutinize the role of executive policy in shaping educational equity and democratic practice.

Authors

• Danielle R. Brown, Florida Atlantic University

• Macie Barrett, Florida Atlantic University