The Biden education plan

In Washington, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish what comes first: the policy or the politics. While we would all like to believe that our federal leaders think about doing for the people before they do for themselves, the evidence is pretty clear (especially right now), that does not always happen. For example, presidential candidate Joe Biden’s recent release of his education plan (officially called “The Biden Plan for Educators, Students, and Our Future”) might be construed by some as being, first and foremost, a deft political move.

Biden’s plan was released in the midst of a public firestorm about whether schools should welcome students and teachers back into the classroom this fall. At the center of it all was the Trump administration, pushing for school buildings to open regardless of what health experts and educators say or think — from that point on, every media outlet in the country (and a good many around the world) was focused on education.

A calm and soothing Joe Biden entered all this tumult with an education plan that reads like a manifesto on how a compassionate and rational government can actually improve things for students, families, and educators. It was the perfect “yin” to the Trump administration’s “yang,” and the timing could not have been better. Even though die-hard Trump supporters will denounce every dollar proposed in Biden’s plan, calling it another example of the federal government trying to take over local schools, it is impossible to ignore the candidate’s strong support for local leaders and his wise decision to focus on the issues that matter most to voters — support for teachers, equity, and childcare. It is important also to note that, as I write this at the end of July, the Trump administration has presented no formal education plan at all, no set of ideas to attract voters in November. His willingness to let Secretary Betsy DeVos’ tone-deaf narrative be the administration’s final word on education could prove to be a costly mistake.