March 20, 2025, will forever be known as the day that President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. I, like others, overconfidently assumed no action towards this promise made during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign would ever be taken. However, as he signed the executive order in the Oval Office, flanked by schoolchildren, the reality of the circumstances was made clear.
The Department of Education, established formally in 1979, was proposed by former President Jimmy Carter and passed with bipartisan support by Congress despite some opposition from Republicans. Following the Civil War, the federal government began taking a larger role in education with the creation of the Department of the Interior and the Office of Education throughout the 1860s. Similarly, following World War II, legislation such as the 1944 GI Bill and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 provided educational benefits to veterans and help to students in low-income schools.
This department has a series of objectives, including ensuring access to equal education opportunities, supporting states’ educational efforts, encouraging federal education programs, promoting improvement in quality, usefulness, and management of federal education programs, and improving their coordination and accountability to the public. While the department’s success in accomplishing these goals is subjective, 58% of all voters do not want the department to be abolished (76% of Democrats and 44% of Republicans, more specifically).
This department is noted for its enforcement of anti-discrimination laws and distribution of aid to low-income students and those with disabilities. For example, they help enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and others. As for aid, the Department provides federal education funds to institutions and students. The enforcement of these laws and the aid they distribute directly impact the states and specific school systems within them. Mississippi, South Dakota, and Montana receive the most K-12 aid, as do the school systems in Detroit, MI, Shelby County, TN, and Guilford County, NC.
So, the question remains: Why does the Trump administration want to eliminate the Department of Education? There are countless arguments that favor its dismantling, including whether its existence is constitutional, its expansive budget, efficacy, hindrance of student freedom, and its increase in data collection efforts. Those in favor of its elimination believe education should be under state control partly to ensure education is not influenced by politics.
Whatever the exact reasons may be, Trump signed the executive order, and the White House released its subsequent statement. The repercussions of the order will largely depend on how Education Secretary Linda McMahon distributes the mandated functions. It is not believed that teachers or students will be directly affected in the immediate future. It is also important to note that Congress must give its approval before the agency is eliminated. Instead, the order is reportedly aimed at minimizing the size of the agency more generally, elaborating upon the action the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken. As of March 13, the department was composed of 2,183 employees compared to the 4,133 that President Trump inherited. More than 1,300 workers were laid off in just one day, March 11.
While senior administration officials have stated the order will not impact the department’s role in supplying aid to low-income students and students with disabilities, as well as student loans and Pell grants, critics question whether this is possible. With half of the department’s staff gone, the remaining half will be responsible for assuming their work. This naturally raises concerns over how effective the department will be.
Initial data analysis has shown that offices such as the Office for Civil Rights, which protects against discrimination against students, and the Office of General Counsel, which helps states and school districts know how and when to use their federal K-12 money, will be most severely impacted. The Institute of Education Sciences, which serves as the department’s research division, and the Office of Federal Student Aid, which distributes federal student loans, have also been hit particularly hard.
The limited ability of these offices to execute their responsibilities may pose a direct threat to students who have previously benefited from them. A student living in a rural community or low-income district, a Black student in a predominately white school, or a child with disabilities may not have access to the protections and services previously ensured by these offices.
The long-term outcome of the Trump administration’s actions toward dismantling the Department of Education is still yet to be known or fully understood. However, the immediate consequences have left many students, educators, and public officials worried about the future. A series of suspected lawsuits against Trump’s recent executive order will likely slow down any major change, however, the public’s eyes must stay peeled to prepare for what may lie ahead.