By Jolie Coviello, ’27

Staff Writer

The Department of Education is at risk of being dismantled after the President signed a March executive order to reduce national debt and limit federal overbearance on schooling. Following this action, the Supreme Court allowed the current administration to fire more than 1,000 government employees – half the department’s workforce. The Department of Education is responsible for billions of dollars in student loans and funding for public schools, which allows millions of American students to get their education. The department also enforces civil rights laws that protect many vulnerable students. What will the future look like for students?

The President claims eliminating the Department of Education will not take away from “K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs.” However, according to the executive order, quite the contrary will happen: those involved with the department will continue their affairs as usual, but educational authority will be restored to the states. The department costs more than $10 million per year to run, according to President Trump, an egregious amount for an office that “does not educate anyone.” In addition, he points to reading and math scores which he claims are near historic lows across America, with over 70 percent of 8th graders nationwide below proficient. This is further proof, the President argues, that the current federal Department of Education is not working.

But the department manages a significant amount of money, including $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. President Trump claims the loans will simply be managed by another federal department: Treasury, Commerce or the Small Business Administration. Critics of the plan fear there will be delays or disruptions to loans that will interrupt or terminate borrowers’ educational plans. And the department is responsible for enforcing civil rights laws in federally funded schools, including anti-discrimination laws protecting vulnerable populations. Just this month, according to the Associated Press, officials have had to rehire dozens of workers from the department’s Office for Civil Rights to handle a backlog of discrimination complaints (more than 200 were laid off in the spring). How will these matters be processed without the federal department? In addition, the department funds special education services for students with disabilities and foreign-born residents, including immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and more. This helps all parties receive an individualized education suited to their needs. Critics of the executive order argue that eliminating the department will affect the quality and equality of education.

According to conservatives, there is a trend of “indoctrination” of liberal ideologies within the American education system. For example, there is significant public backlash against alleged incorporation of subjective topics into college curricula, such as a professor’s personal take on the current administration, how they believe politics could be improved, and criticism of viewpoints that are not their own. This perceived agenda in an educational environment is a significant motivator for Trump’s executive order to eliminate the department as a sort of reform and reprimand. But by taking away the department, significant funding for public schools disappears, along with legal protections, and that loss negatively affects teachers and students alike.

Despite President Trump’s executive order, Congress would need to approve the elimination of the department, and that would require the cooperation of Democratic lawmakers in addition to proponents of Trump. Many Americans wonder whether it is likely that such a bill could pass, and there are potential constitutional and moral concerns from both sides. Multiple federal laws relating to education, such as those protecting people with disabilities, would need to be reevaluated to ensure no federal authority is breached in this process. Teachers unions, parent groups and other education advocates are fighting the move in court.

Many Americans continue to debate this issue and the implications of a future without the Department of Education: What does this mean for oversight of local educational agencies? What happens to federally funded educational programs? What about the billions in higher education grant funding? 

Works Cited

Babinski, Leslie. Policy 360 Episode 165 with Leslie Babinski. sanford.duke.edu/sites/default/files/165_Transcript_Leslie_Babinski.pdf. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

“Educational Resources for Immigrants, Refugees, Asylees and Other New Americans.” U.S. Department of Education, 2015, http://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/educational-resources-for-immigrants-refugees-asylees-and-other-new-americans.

Faguy, Ana. “What Does the US Education Department Do – and Can Trump Truly Dismantle It?” BBC, 15 Nov. 2024, http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79zxzj90nno.

“Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” Federal Register, 25 Mar. 2025, http://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/03/25/2025-05213/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities.

Preede, Ken. “Abolishing the Department of Education: Can It Happen and How Would It Impact Schools?” Parkerpoe.com, 2024, http://www.parkerpoe.com/news/2024/12/abolishing-the-department-of-education-can-it-happen-1.

School, Sanford. “Explainer: What Dismantling the Department of Education Really Means [Podcast].” Sanford School of Public Policy, 24 Mar. 2025, sanford.duke.edu/story/explainer-what-dismantling-department-education-really-means-podcast/.

Trump, Donald. “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” The White House, 20 Mar. 2025, http://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities/.

U.S. Department of Education. “Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order to Return Power over Education to States and Local Communities.” U.S. Department of Education, 20 Mar. 2025, http://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/statement-president-trumps-executive-order-return-power-over-education-states-and-local-communities.

Walker, Tim. “How Dismantling the Department of Education Would Harm Students | NEA.” Nea.org, National Education Association, 4 Feb. 2025, http://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/how-dismantling-department-education-would-harm-students.