Exclusive | Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Californias schools, Newsom and the end of the Education Department

Education Secretary Linda McMahon has a message for California: Washington is getting out of the classroom, parents need to step in, and schools that keep secrets from families will pay the price.In an exclusive interview with The California Post during a California stop on her “Returning Education to the States” tour, McMahon weighed in on the state’s lagging test scores, Gov.Gavin Newsom’s education record and her push to dismantle the agency she leads.McMahon acknowledged that low test scores are a nationwide problem, saying President Trump tasked her with addressing it when he offered her the job.“I do believe that it’s because of the way we have been teaching our students,” she told The Post.

“You cannot force education from the top down from Washington, D.C., because no one size fits all.What works best in the states is best decided at the state level, with parents working with teachers, governors and school officials being involved.”McMahon said parents must take a more active role in their children’s education, calling their increased involvement during COVID a “silver lining.”“Take on the mantle, go to the school and find out what your children are being taught and how you want them to be taught,” she said.Asked how Newsom has fared on education, McMahon said, “There is a lot of room for improvement.”About six in 10 California students are not proficient in math, while roughly half fail to meet state reading proficiency standards, according to the latest state education data.McMahon also took aim at California’s handling of student gender identity information, warning the state could face aggressive federal action over policies that limit what schools disclose to parents.In January, the Education Department found California’s education agency continued to violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the federal law governing parents’ access to their children’s education records.“For a state to keep that ...