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1/21/2026

New from EdNC

8 takeaways from the first year of this Trump administration

by Mebane Rash |

As President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, EdNC adopted an approach to our coverage that treats news as the first draft of history. We learned a lot. “In one year, the Trump Administration has ended business as...

The Editor’s Notes

As President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, EdNC adopted an approach to our coverage that treats news as the first draft of history.

EdNC has published more than 75 articles over the last year on federal politics and policy, including our most read article of 2025: “Trump signs seven more executive orders impacting K-12 and higher ed,” now with nearly 200,000 pageviews.

Our readers did not suffer news fatigue; instead, this content largely drove a 15% increase in readership.

Of 1,942 responses to our annual survey, only 6.8% did not think we are providing a neutral view of what’s happening in education, even less than the year before.

Our readers, especially educators, continue to look to us for a “straightforward description of what is happening within the world.”

Our reporting this year has allowed us to track how voters, reporters, philanthropists, and policymakers are keeping up to date with everything that is happening; shifts in the importance of issues relative to federal policy change; longer-term implications; and the opportunity cost of reacting to federal policy.

“In one year, the Trump Administration has ended business as usual in education,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a press release issued on the anniversary. “As we enter year two: buckle up, because our foot is on the gas.”

Thank you for trusting us to tell this story.

In the meantime, we are here to tell the incredible story of our students, educators, and schools. At 5:30pm today, we will have a story about the power of community. Here is a teaser.

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These are the sources EdNC checks every day: The New York Times, The 74, Education Week, The NC Tribune, The Insider, The News & Observer, The Charlotte Observer, WUNC, WFAE, Brookings, Education Commission of the States, and DPI’s News. A cross section of diverse sources are checked weekly and monthly. If you have an article you think needs to be included, email [email protected].

Mebane Rash

Mebane Rash is the CEO and editor-in-chief of EducationNC.

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