Hegseth Plans To Impose Jesus On Military-Run Schools
December 16, 2024

Education

A Hegseth DOD comes with a battle against public school education
The Department of Defense Education Activity agency is a high-profile example of a federally run education program that has already been a conservative target.

{snip picture}
In DODEA, Pete Hegseth would be targeting a well-regarded school system whose students outperform the rest of the country on federal standardized tests. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

By Juan Perez Jr.
12/15/2024 06:00 PM EST

Pete Hegseth has pushed for years to steep American education in patriotic principles and Christian theology — and he could implement that vision for thousands of military families if he’s confirmed to lead the Defense Department.

Tucked inside the Pentagon’s nearly $900 billion-per-year bureaucracy is a network of 161 schools in 11 countries, seven states, Guam and Puerto Rico. The Department of Defense Education Activity agency educates some 67,000 children of active-duty military and civilian service members. And unlike public school systems, which are driven largely by state and local policy, the DODEA is a high-profile example of a federally run education program conservatives have longed to restructure.

If Hegseth weathers allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking and gets confirmed, he will have the opportunity to bend a key facet of the education system in his image. It would also be a way to resurrect the “patriotic education” blueprint Trump advanced during his first term and set an example Republican-led states can follow.

“The federal government does have control over one major school district’s curriculum — that can be a model for our nation,” said Max Eden, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who is influential in conservative education circles that are pushing to revamp the Defense Department’s schools. ... “It could be huge. It could change the character of American education beyond DODEA, but for half the country.”

{snip}