President Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The order represents a fundamental shift in the federal government’s role in the education system, with widespread implications across the country.
The order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
Following her Senate confirmation, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has overseen plans to cut the agency’s staff by nearly 50% across all divisions, including Federal Student Aid. McMahon and Acting Under Secretary James Bergeron have reassured the public in recent statements that these changes would not impact statutory programs, such as those managed by the Office of Higher Education programs.
Today’s announcement is a milestone for the Trump Administration, which made dismantling the Department of Education and returning authority to individual states a central focus during the 2024 election. The President’s second term began with a slew of executive orders aimed at reducing the federal government and addressing issues like “critical race theory”, “gender ideology”, and “discrimination in admissions.”
Despite the President’s efforts, his executive orders have faced significant legal challenges. On March 14, a federal judge imposed a two-week injunction against the Department of Education’s workforce reduction, ordering the reinstatement of all probationary employees.
This mandate has already encountered similar scrutiny from opponents about the consequences of the agency’s removal. Representative Robert Scott, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, expressed his concerns about the decision in statement released today:
“Abolishing a federal agency requires an Act of Congress. President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and ‘return education to the states’ will be challenged in the Courts.
Of note, ED was founded in part to guarantee the enforcement of students’ civil rights. And champions of public school segregation objected, and campaigned for a return to ‘states’ rights.’ Moreover, during President Trump’s first term in office, he nominated dozens of judges who during their confirmation hearings refused to say whether they thought Brown v. Board was properly decided.
Legality aside, dismantling ED will exacerbate existing disparities, reduce accountability, and put low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, rural students, and English as a Second Language (ESL) students at risk. I believe this executive order will be used to distract Americans from the fact that Republicans are not working to address the real problems facing students and families: widening academic achievement gaps, school shootings, and the burden of student loans.
President Trump’s executive order has little regard for the irreparable harm it will cause to students, educators, our future workforce, and parents, who are already struggling. Moreover, this move will force more dedicated civil servants with invaluable institutional knowledge out of the federal government. And they will be replaced with political appointees who answer only to President Trump, a man who has declared himself king, and an unelected billionaire, Elon Musk.
By dismantling ED, President Trump is implementing his own philosophy on education, which can be summed up in his own words, ‘I love the poorly educated.’
I am adamantly opposed to this reckless action. I am also disappointed, although not surprised, that Secretary McMahon’s first order of business after her confirmation is capitulating to the President’s dangerous, and illegal demands. I challenge my Republican colleagues in Congress to join me to hold the President and Elon Musk accountable and stop this order from going into effect.”
The Trump Administration released their own statement prior to the signing of the executive order:
“Since 1979, the U.S. Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion with virtually nothing to show for it. Despite per-pupil spending having increased by more than 245% over that period, there has been virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement:
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- Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds are at the lowest level in decades.
- Six-in-ten fourth graders and nearly three-quarters of eighth graders are not proficient in math.
- Seven-in-ten fourth and eighth graders are not proficient in reading, while 40% of fourth grade students don’t even meet basic reading levels.
- Standardized test scores have remained flat for decades.
- U.S. students rank 28 out of 37 OECD member countries in math.
President Donald J. Trump and his administration believe we can, and must, be better.
Instead of maintaining the status quo that is failing American students, the Trump Administration’s bold plan will return education where it belongs — with individual states, which are best positioned to administer effective programs and services that benefit their own unique populations and needs.
Instead of a bloated federal system that burdens schools with regulations and paperwork, the Trump Administration believes states should be empowered to expand educational freedom and opportunity for all families.
Why would we keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result?”
The Department of Education was established in 1979 by President Carter after Congress passed the Department of Education Organization Act.
Despite the statements above regarding reading and math scores, the Department of Education does not set the curricula used in classrooms, individual states do.
We will continue to monitor the events as they unfold and provide further updates in our news blog.
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