What's the Department of Education, and What Would America Look Like Without It?

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Main Story
What's the Department of Education, and What Would America Look Like Without It?

• What’s Going On

  • Closing the Department of Education?
    President Trump issued an Executive Order on March 20th to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, saying education should be left entirely to states and local governments.

  • A Congressional Response
    On March 26th, Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Bernie Moreno (R-OH) introduced a bill to eliminate the Department of Education. Paul said federal control has “stifled innovation and limited parental choice.”

  • Shifting Power:
    Eliminating the Department of Education would shift power to states, ending national standards and weakening federal enforcement of civil rights and education rules.

• A Quick Explainer

  • What Is the Department of Education?
    Created in 1979, it’s a federal agency that sets national standards, promotes equity in schools, provides grants and other services to vulnerable students, and manages student loans. Earlier versions of the agency date back to the late 1800s.

  • How the Department of Education Promotes Equity

    ✅ Targeted Funding: Title I sends billions of dollars to low-income schools to close gaps in funding among zip codes.
    ✅ Disability Support: Enforces IDEA (Individuals with Disability Education Act) to ensure free, appropriate education for students with disabilities.
    ✅ Civil Rights: Investigates discrimination in schools based on race, gender, language, or disability.
    ✅ Language Access: Funds programs for English learners so language isn’t a barrier.
    ✅ Data & Accountability: Tracks national data to identify and address inequities.
    ✅ College Access: Manages Pell Grants, student loans, and programs for first-gen and low-income students.

  • What Is a Title 1 School?
    A Title I school is a public school that receives federal funding to support students in low-income areas. The Department of Education manages these grants. In 2021–22, about 63% of public schools were Title I eligible.

  • Wait, Can a President Just Eliminate the Department?
    No. Closing a cabinet-level agency requires an act of Congress. Executive orders can shift funding or reduce enforcement, but the department itself is written into federal law, and as we learned last week, executive orders are not laws and cannot alter them!

  • Fun Fact:
    The Department of Education has the smallest staff size of any cabinet agency — but it oversees the third largest discretionary budget.

  Poll: Do you think the Department of Education should stay or go?

  Stay - federal standards in education and distribution of services and grants to schools in need is a net good for the country. Go - education should be left up to the individual states. Decentralization would save taxpayer dollars. Other (write-in)

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