As much as being a STEM major at a massive public university gives me unending feelings of stress and imposter syndrome, it would be really stupid of me to not acknowledge the fact that my education is not only shaping my career, but also shaping me into the person I want to become someday. My education, especially with many of my professors, has given me the opportunity to discover what I’m passionate about and build my path into what I want it to be. Before college, I did an IB program, and while also a hellish experience, it single handedly gave me my passion for literacy, writing and literature, especially when it comes to diversity in the things we read.
But to cut straight to the chase, with the impending presidency and the looming threat of Project 2025 that has already been taking affect across the country seemingly under everyone’s noses, current conservatives in Congress and others have repeatedly discussed and motioned for the banning of the Department of Education, which was founded in 1980 under President Jimmy Carter. There has been a fundamental misunderstanding of what the purpose of the Department is, with the most basic being that it allocates “a budget of nearly 80 billion dollars that covers programs addressing prekindergarten through postsecondary education.” On top of that, the Department of Education also oversees funding of career programs in schools, provides training and support for new teachers, and allows for the support and facilitation of programs for multilingual learners. They also oversee financial aid programs such as the FAFSA and Pell Grant that give financial aid to those seeking a college education.
While the Department of Education has various other functions behind the scenes, one of the most important jobs that it serves is through the Office of Civil Rights, whose job is to “identify, investigate, and resolve school violations of civil rights laws through its office for civil rights.” This directly affects the safety of the students that are attending schools, private or public. It makes sure that no student is discriminated against based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or any other factor. It allows all students to feel some sort of protection and inclusivity in their schools. However, this also leads to a common misconception: that the Department of Education oversees exactly what is being taught in schools and what teachers can teach in schools. This is completely false, as each state and each teacher has their own curriculum that is taught to the students. Generally, they have no say on the curriculums of individual teachers unless it directly harms the student’s well-being. Despite the amount of funding allocated by the same department, the Department of Education is also not a primary funder, covering just 8-10% of the funding for schools.
The primary reason for the desire of conservatives to ban the Department of Education is “purely ideological.” Jonathan Butcher, a senior representative for the Heritage Foundation, claimed that the banning of the Department of Education is “consistent with both the interest in smaller government and the interest in doing what’s right for kids.” However, what they’re most concerned with is pushing the “indoctrination” narrative, also known as a very heavy victim mentality. They are concerned with the fact that schools supposedly “push an agenda” on kids by simply educating them on topics such as race, gender, and sexuality, and educating on the history of those topics and incorporating them in literature (hence the multitude of book bans). Not only is this mentality and reasoning extremely harmful and devoid of any compassion and humanity, but I would go as far as to call it downright idiotic.
The entire purpose of the Department of Education is to ensure the quality of our education. Almost every topic that they deem too progressive or responsible for the “indoctrination” of kids are not only necessary, but fundamental. They have shaped our country and are the foundations for much of the “freedom” that conservatives claim to desire for the entire country. Education and indoctrination are two completely different things. By banning the Department of Education, the quality of our education will go down the drain, and it will be absolutely catastrophic for the future generations that want to be educated and shape our country. Having diversity in the books we read and in school curriculum is so important to ensuring the safety of kids in schools now, and also ensuring that future generations get the education that they deserve.