In the first article of my new Navigating the Landscape series, I explore how recent federal and state-level policy shifts are disrupting public education — not by accident, but by design.
In this piece, I examine how calculated efforts to weaken the Department of Education, strip away critical protections, and restrict access to inclusive, historically accurate instruction are creating an environment of confusion, fear, and ultimately, disenfranchisement. These moves are part of a deliberate strategy to disempower education leaders and limit what’s possible for students, especially those who have long relied on schools as places of opportunity and equity.
Some of the key dynamics I explore include:
- The Executive Order to dismantle the Department of Education
Although Congress holds the ultimate authority, the removal of nearly half the Department’s staff, particularly from offices supporting student aid, civil rights, and research, signals a slow but targeted effort to dismantle support systems from within. - The manipulation of “parental rights” as political rhetoric
Parents already hold significant legal rights under existing federal laws, including FERPA and Title I. The current push to “restore” those rights is less about empowerment and more about creating a false crisis, one that justifies overreach and deepens mistrust. - The erosion of inclusive, student-centered curriculum
Across the country, schools and educators are being pressured to remove content that reflects the full spectrum of human experience, including the histories, cultures, and contributions of historically marginalized communities. Districts that champion equity and access are facing the threat of withheld funding, forcing leaders into untenable choices between political compliance and educational integrity.
To illustrate the cumulative effect of these tactics, I compare them to the growth of a Ficus tree, a vine that wraps tightly around its host until all that remains is a hollow shell. This is how power operates when it seeks to control, rather than serve.
To lead through this moment, I outline two strategies that help restore our agency and build collective power:
- Strategic Positioning: Ensuring that we, or trusted allies, are present in decision-making spaces with clarity, context, and courage.
- Strategic Partnerships: Building intentional, inclusive coalitions across sectors, families, educators, advocates to protect access and advance equity.
To explore these strategies in more detail, I invite you to read the full article:
🔗 Navigating the Landscape: The Steps to Strategic Leadership in Education – Part I
And if you’re ready to move from awareness to action, please join me on April 16th for a live Leadership Strategy Session.
Together, we’ll unpack these shifts, understand their implications for your context, and co-create ways to respond with vision and purpose.
Register for the session
These are difficult times — but they are also defining ones. Let’s rise to meet them, together.