2025 Education Word of the Year
By Jackie Wilber for SDPB’s Teacher Talk
If you joined us last year, you may remember that we had a little fun with the fact that the “word” of the year was actually two words: cellphone ban. I also couldn’t resist bringing in the Oxford Word of the Year, brain rot, to round out the trend of phrases being named the “word” of the year.
This year, a few dictionaries continued the two-word theme from 2024. Oxford went with rage bait, which feels painfully accurate for anyone who has spent more than 30 seconds online this year. Dictionary.com chose six-seven, a kid-driven nonsensical catchphrase that seemingly spread throughout the world. The phrase has since been reported to be “six feet under” by The Atlantic, now that adults have taken to using the term of art.
EducationWeek, however, returned to a single word. A word that feels less like a trend and more like a deeply descriptive term for the year we’ve just lived through.
The 2025 EducationWeek Word of the Year is: dismantle.
dismantle (v.): to disconnect the pieces of; to destroy the integrity or functioning of (Merriam-Webster)
EducationWeek’s reporting outlined why dismantle became such a defining word in 2025. Throughout the year, the Trump administration made significant structural changes to the U.S. Department of Education, per his campaign promise to dismantle it. While the department cannot be eliminated without Congress, several major functions were reassigned to other federal agencies, including the administration of more than $20 billion in K–12 funding. The department also underwent substantial staff reductions, cutting nearly half its workforce.
Several long‑standing grant programs were canceled, affecting teacher training, school mental health staffing, STEM research, and desegregation initiatives. Researchers experienced additional disruption when nearly $900 million in federal contracts for studies and pilot programs were revoked and later partially restored following a court ruling.
Districts also faced financial uncertainty when states were notified that billions in scheduled federal funds would be temporarily withheld, a decision later reversed. At the same time, Congress advanced competing budget proposals with significantly different funding levels for key programs such as Title I, IDEA, professional development, and English‑learner services. With no final agreement in place, many school systems began planning for potential reductions and continued uncertainty heading into the new year.
As we head into 2026, I’m curious to see whether dismantling gives way to rebuilding, and if so, what shape that takes.
The views and opinions expressed on SDPB’s Teacher Talk are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of South Dakota.
