The Administrative Presidency and PK-12 Education Policy: Student Rights and Oversight During the Trump and Biden Era

Abstract

In politically polarized environments, presidential administrations rely on executive and administrative action to advance their social policy agendas. This article conducts a systematic review of the early Trump and Biden administration's use of unilateral action to influence PK-12 policy. We find that despite President Trump's campaign rhetoric around deregulation, both administrations employed unilateral action to influence education, although they pursued divergent policy priorities. We then demonstrate that across administrations, our multiple-level system of governance moderates presidential influence over education policy. We conclude that despite executive reliance on administrative action, state actors can play an important role in directing education policy by maintaining or challenging presidential priorities.