As Americans strained under the weight of inflation fueled by Bidenomics, the federal government found a peculiar priority: funding woke educational programs instead of addressing the real issues plaguing classrooms. A report from Parents Defending Education (PDE) revealed that the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) has poured over $100 million into initiatives promoting Social Emotional Learning (SEL), restorative justice, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Meanwhile, basic literacy and math scores are tanking across the country. Critics argue that instead of fixing the fundamentals, government officials and left-leaning educators are more interested in ideological reprogramming than actual education.
The backlash to this misuse of taxpayer money has been swift and fierce. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate the Department of Education altogether, framing it as a bloated bureaucracy that spends more time pushing political agendas than teaching kids. Trump’s sentiments are shared by a growing number of frustrated parents and policymakers who see an education system in freefall. American students are falling behind their international peers, including those from rival nations, in critical areas like math and science. PDE’s report provides stark evidence of how public funds have been diverted to woke projects while the basics are left to wither.
Between 2021 and 2024, the DOJ awarded 102 grants across 36 states, impacting more than 3.2 million students in 946 school districts. The total tab? Over $100 million in taxpayer dollars. The funding breakdown highlights the priorities: $45.2 million for SEL and restorative justice programs, $32 million for DEI initiatives, $19.8 million for consultants peddling Critical Race Theory (CRT) and queer theory, and $10.3 million for administrators hired to enforce these ideologies. While these numbers are staggering, they barely scratch the surface of the broader ideological shift happening in American schools.
Where exactly is this money going? Minnesota’s Department of Education received $2 million to develop “anti-racist” and “anti-oppressive” environments—buzzwords that sound nice in press releases but do little to improve test scores. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania rolled out a program focusing on “racial/historical and intergenerational trauma” and “anti-bias education.” For parents wondering how these initiatives help their children master basic academic skills, the answer is simple: they don’t. Instead, these programs introduce confusing jargon and divisive ideas that do more to alienate students than educate them.
Critics argue these initiatives not only waste resources but also promote inequality by granting special treatment to specific racial and LGBTQ groups. Instead of tackling real issues like outdated textbooks, underqualified teachers, or deteriorating school facilities, these grants prioritize pushing political ideologies. With Trump set to take office, many conservatives are optimistic that this social engineering experiment will be replaced with a renewed focus on academic achievement and preparing students for the challenges of the real world. Whether the system can recover from this woke detour remains an open question, but parents are clearly ready for a change.
