In his victory speech on Saturday night, President-elect Joe Biden called for national unity. However, educators, educational organizations and associations, and legal experts are far from unified in their views on the impact a Biden administration could have on K-12 education.

Although the final election outcome will not be determined until the December Electoral College vote and the resolution of legal challenges, the education community's reaction to Biden's presumed victory is complex.

Unions and associations look forward to cooperation and pandemic relief

Many organizations and associations hope to work with the new administration. For example, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers told Education Dive they hope to strengthen public schools. The National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals expressed similar views.

Other organizations are focusing on short-term pandemic relief. Yasmina Finch, executive director of the National Head Start Association, said in a statement that the organization is pushing for at least $1.7 billion in funding for Head Start and Early Head Start programs to address rising costs.

Meanwhile, Chip Slaven, chief advocacy officer of the National School Boards Association, said he hopes the new administration will pay special attention to public schools, calling them "where most students are currently." But Slaven stressed that any successful effort will require bipartisan cooperation. "Local school board members are on the front lines, and they can help lead many of these efforts across party lines or regardless of party," he said.

Meanwhile, Mike Petrilli, president of the right-leaning Thomas B. Fordham Institute, suggested that Biden might try to push through checklist items such as teacher pay and increased Title I funding through the pandemic relief bill currently before Congress. "They may see this as their only opportunity to push through the rest of their agenda for some time," Petrilli said. "Biden may not have spending opportunities for a while, perhaps not until the budget is ready a year from now."

School choice: Beneficiary or harmed, opinions divided

Although some call Biden "strongly opposed" to school choice, others hold differing views on what his victory means for education reformers.

Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said in a statement that the organization "counts on the incoming Biden-Harris administration" to support public charter schools and provide flexibility for parents after a "significant enrollment surge" during the pandemic.

But John Schilling, president of the American Federation for Children, said in an email to Education Dive that while the Trump administration increased federal charter school spending by more than $100 million, that may not be the case under a Biden administration, which may only show "moderate support for charter schools." Schilling said Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris oppose vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, or education savings accounts used to pay for non-public school tuition, putting them at odds with several key Democratic constituencies—including Latinos, African Americans, and millennials.

"A Biden presidency offers a considerable duality," added Jeanne Allen, founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, which closely monitors educational opportunities. Allen said that while Biden relied on national teacher unions to pave his way to the White House, educational opportunity rather than traditional public education "solidified its foothold" at the state and congressional levels in this election. "That will be his challenge."

Schilling added: "Republicans will have to fight to expand educational choice at the federal level and use their platform to counter the influence of teacher unions."

But Petrilli said that while Biden's record shows he is "more hostile to charter schools than any other presidential candidate," he may still be more favorable to school choice than the Trump administration. "We will be able to have more constructive conversations about education reform again," Petrilli said. "The past four years have been very difficult." He added that centrists and those on the left who support school choice issues "have been attacked for their association with Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos." "Trump's push for school choice was bad for school choice; you need bipartisan consensus, and given Trump's tone and rhetoric, that was simply impossible," Petrilli said.

Nevertheless, Allen added, "the messaging will be more difficult... and frankly, some people even worry that (the new administration) might retaliate and start launching investigations."

Caution over increased funding for traditional schools

Many organizations, including NSBA and AASA (The School Superintendents Association), have emphasized long-term changes around internet connectivity, modernizing education to prepare students for the workforce, and teacher recruitment and retention—all policy priorities during Biden's campaign.

However, given Republican control of the Senate, Petrilli expects Biden to face a difficult situation. "Many of Biden's plans in education and other areas will not advance, or he will not be able to implement them as boldly as he would like," Petrilli said. He added that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) "is willing to engage in some negotiation" and expects public education funding to increase more than under Trump.

"There will be partisan battles, but in crises we often come together better," Slaven said. "This is a critical moment for everyone, not just public schools, so I hope they can focus on that."

Special education community hopes for full funding of IDEA

Many in the special education community hope the Biden administration will advocate for full funding of the additional costs of serving students with disabilities—that is, an increase of about $30 billion in services funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

"We are so far behind in our federal contribution. If that number could increase, that would be great," said Stephanie Smith Lee. She served as director of the Office of Special Education Programs from 2002 to 2005 and is a member of the group "43 Alumni for Biden," referring to political appointees of the George W. Bush administration. Lee said she also hopes the next education secretary will focus on people with disabilities.

"For families of students with disabilities and students with disabilities, focusing on improving academic achievement and outcomes has been an ongoing effort," Lee said. "Good practices that benefit students with disabilities, such as universal design for learning, benefit all students."

The Council of Administrators of Special Education, in a statement to Education Dive signed by Executive Director Phyllis Wolfram, expressed hope that the new administration will consider keeping public funds within public education, addressing the mental health needs of all children through school and community partnerships, and ensuring federal funds cover the 40% additional cost of providing services to students with disabilities. "COVID-19 has had a significant impact on students and teachers, and we need to ensure the funding and support are provided to continue implementing (free appropriate public education) under these challenging circumstances," the CASE statement said.

However, Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director of advocacy and governance at AASA, believes the administration will not be able to push far-left agenda items such as full funding of IDEA through Congress. "But I think if we convince them to significantly increase (IDEA funding), that would be a step in the right direction," she said, adding that "there is room for dialogue about investing in education."

Civil rights policy 'ping-pong' reversal may be coming

Organizations on both the left and right anticipate that a Biden administration will reverse many of the civil rights changes that occurred during the Trump era.

Miriam Rollin, director of the Education Civil Rights Alliance convened by the National Center for Youth Law, said she hopes to see more focus on vulnerable students and preventing discriminatory practices. "We need to use this COVID crisis as a turning point for the education of the most marginalized students—we can make schools more equitable and caring for our students," Rollin said.

In this regard, Petrilli said he expects Biden to "immediately set about" reversing Trump's school discipline guidance and the new Title IX rules. However, whether Biden will restore Obama-era policies or retain some of DeVos's efforts in these areas remains to be seen. "I'm sure (school districts) feel like they're being whipped around, or watching a ping-pong match," he said of the dramatic changes that could come with a change in administration.

Would a complete reversal of Trump-era policies help school districts? Some don't think so. "Just because Betsy DeVos's actions were problematic or controversial doesn't mean every change she made was terrible," Ellerson Ng said. "It's not wiser to overturn everything just to negate everything Betsy did."