The 2020 Election Results: An Outlook for Education Policy
Published November 2020
This memo provides an overview of how the 2020 elections will likely influence federal education policy, particularly in the context of a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a national reckoning on racial injustice. This overview is not intended to fully explore all education issues that may be addressed by the federal government under the leadership of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris over the next four years, but it provides initial insights on likely dynamics, priorities, and near-term actions that will have both immediate consequence and set up longer term scenarios. With the Senate balance currently standing at 50-48 toward Republican control, the two runoff elections in Georgia will decide whether the Biden Administration faces a unified Democratic Congress or a divided government. While Democratic control of the Senate would likely allow for a bigger, bolder Democratic agenda in all regards, this memo assumes that there could be a divided Congress and explores what that would mean for the federal education agenda.