Bye, Bye, Department of Education
Here's what the actual government website says is happening:
That's a bit odd at the end to say that states would have a reduced need to consult multiple agencies just as they are sending various areas of work that is currently under one agency, the Department of Education, out to multiple agencies.
Also interesting is this statement for each agency:
ED will maintain all statutory responsibilities, including policymaking authority, and will continue its oversight of these programs.
The NEA believes:
Dismantling it means defunding programs that feed, educate, and protect our most vulnerable and underserved students, and leaving many families fearful and anxious and communities reeling.
Title 1, which directs money to schools with high concentrations of students living in poverty and provides supports such as reading specialists and smaller class sizes, could be decimated if, as proposed in Project 2025, it is turned into block grants and handed over to individual states—without any sort of accountability or oversight.
Many expect the White House to move the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice, a move that would severely weaken its ability to protect students against discrimination based on race, gender, and disability. The absence of strong federal oversight would leave millions of students vulnerable to discrimination, leading to lower levels of motivation and academic achievement and a higher risk of dropping out.
The Education Department also administers Pell Grants, federal student loans,and loan repayment and forgiveness programs. Thirty percent of U.S. college students rely on these federal loans to pay their tuition. Students and families could lose this support, leading to more students dropping out, fewer choices, and fewer options for families.
What Each Agency Will Be Doing According to DE
- ED and DOL (Department of Labor) are establishing the Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership to empower parents and states, promote innovation, and deliver program improvements in pursuit of better outcomes for students in elementary and secondary education. DOL will take on a greater role in administering federal K-12 programs, ensuring these programs are better aligned with workforce and college programs to set students up for success at every part of their education journey.
This is where Title One funds will be administered as well as other Title programs. They also put homeless children and youth into the DOL.
- ED and DOI ( Department of the Interior) are establishing the Indian Education Partnership to improve Native American education in the United States. DOI will take on a greater role in administering Indian Education programs relating to elementary and secondary education, higher education, career and technical education, and vocational rehabilitation, solidifying the agency as the key point of contact for Tribes and Native students.
- ED and HHS (Health and Human Services) are establishing the Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership to apply the expertise of HHS staff to evaluating whether the standards of accreditation for foreign medical schools are comparable with the standards for medical schools in the U.S. HHS will oversee the work of the affiliated National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA).
“Medical education must incorporate timely, rigorous science on nutrition, metabolism and all medical subjects. Secretary Kennedy is leading the charge with American medical schools and HHS will encourage foreign medical schools through this partnership,” said Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill.
Why would they single out metabolism as a key area of study? Hmmm.
- ED and HHS (Health and Human Services) are establishing the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Partnership to improve on-campus child care support for parents enrolled in college. As HHS already oversees child care-focused grants, this partnership will bring much needed efficiency and coherent guidelines to the execution of the CCAMPIS program. HHS will manage existing competitions, provide technical assistance, and integrate ED’s CCAMPIS program.
- ED and State (State Department) are establishing the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership to improve efficiencies for programs administered under the Fulbright-Hays grant. State already administers the Fulbright Program and is best positioned to tailor foreign education programs with the national security and foreign policy priorities of the United States. The partnership provides an opportunity to streamline international education program funding and data collection measures, consolidate program management, and advance national security interests.
From Politico:
Lastly, in other federal education news, the Trump regime wants to support nationwide vouchers as well as charter schools. It would appear they want to fully dismantle public education as most of us know it.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) today announced six new interagency agreements (IAAs) with four agencies to break up the federal education bureaucracy, ensure efficient delivery of funded programs, activities, and move closer to fulfilling the President’s promise to return education to the states. By partnering with agencies that are best positioned to deliver results for students and taxpayers, these IAAs will streamline federal education activities on the legally required programs, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs and activities to better serve students and grantees.
These new partnerships with the Departments of Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), Health and Human Services (HHS), and State mark a major step toward improving the management of select ED programs by leveraging partner agencies’ administrative expertise and experience working with relevant stakeholders. These agreements follow a successful workforce development partnership signed with DOL earlier this year, which has created an integrated federal education and workforce system and reduced the need for states to consult multiple federal agencies to effectively manage their programs.
That's a bit odd at the end to say that states would have a reduced need to consult multiple agencies just as they are sending various areas of work that is currently under one agency, the Department of Education, out to multiple agencies.
Also interesting is this statement for each agency:
ED will maintain all statutory responsibilities, including policymaking authority, and will continue its oversight of these programs.
Background via the National Education Association:
Last March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to abolish the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Because only Congress has the authority to eliminate the department, the White House has taken several major steps to drain ED of its resources. In November, it announced its intention to shift multiple functions to other federal agencies.
Just last year, the U.S. House of Representatives considered and rejected an amendment to a bill that sought to eliminate the department. More than 60 Republican members joined Democrats in turning back the effort. However, a new bill was introduced in the House last week calling for the elimination of the department by the end of 2026.
The NEA believes:
Dismantling it means defunding programs that feed, educate, and protect our most vulnerable and underserved students, and leaving many families fearful and anxious and communities reeling.
Title 1, which directs money to schools with high concentrations of students living in poverty and provides supports such as reading specialists and smaller class sizes, could be decimated if, as proposed in Project 2025, it is turned into block grants and handed over to individual states—without any sort of accountability or oversight.
According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, 180,000 teaching positions could be lost, affecting 2.8 million students in low-income communities.
Roughly 7.5 million students, or 15 percent of the student population, receive special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),which provides $15 billion to support students with disabilities. This program could be transferred to another agency, making it significantly less likely that students with disabilities receive the services and support they need and deserve.
Many expect the White House to move the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice, a move that would severely weaken its ability to protect students against discrimination based on race, gender, and disability. The absence of strong federal oversight would leave millions of students vulnerable to discrimination, leading to lower levels of motivation and academic achievement and a higher risk of dropping out.
The Education Department also administers Pell Grants, federal student loans,and loan repayment and forgiveness programs. Thirty percent of U.S. college students rely on these federal loans to pay their tuition. Students and families could lose this support, leading to more students dropping out, fewer choices, and fewer options for families.
What Each Agency Will Be Doing According to DE
- ED and DOL (Department of Labor) are establishing the Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership to empower parents and states, promote innovation, and deliver program improvements in pursuit of better outcomes for students in elementary and secondary education. DOL will take on a greater role in administering federal K-12 programs, ensuring these programs are better aligned with workforce and college programs to set students up for success at every part of their education journey.
This is where Title One funds will be administered as well as other Title programs. They also put homeless children and youth into the DOL.
- ED and DOI ( Department of the Interior) are establishing the Indian Education Partnership to improve Native American education in the United States. DOI will take on a greater role in administering Indian Education programs relating to elementary and secondary education, higher education, career and technical education, and vocational rehabilitation, solidifying the agency as the key point of contact for Tribes and Native students.
- ED and HHS (Health and Human Services) are establishing the Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership to apply the expertise of HHS staff to evaluating whether the standards of accreditation for foreign medical schools are comparable with the standards for medical schools in the U.S. HHS will oversee the work of the affiliated National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA).
“Medical education must incorporate timely, rigorous science on nutrition, metabolism and all medical subjects. Secretary Kennedy is leading the charge with American medical schools and HHS will encourage foreign medical schools through this partnership,” said Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill.
Why would they single out metabolism as a key area of study? Hmmm.
- ED and HHS (Health and Human Services) are establishing the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Partnership to improve on-campus child care support for parents enrolled in college. As HHS already oversees child care-focused grants, this partnership will bring much needed efficiency and coherent guidelines to the execution of the CCAMPIS program. HHS will manage existing competitions, provide technical assistance, and integrate ED’s CCAMPIS program.
- ED and State (State Department) are establishing the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership to improve efficiencies for programs administered under the Fulbright-Hays grant. State already administers the Fulbright Program and is best positioned to tailor foreign education programs with the national security and foreign policy priorities of the United States. The partnership provides an opportunity to streamline international education program funding and data collection measures, consolidate program management, and advance national security interests.
From Politico:
Civil rights work, plus federal student loan and grant programs were also not affected by the department’s agreements with other agencies. But administration officials did not rule out future efforts to move special education, civil rights and student loans to other agencies during private briefings Tuesday, though they said no agreements on those programs have yet been signed.
While the necessity of the department is up for debate, it’s also unclear how well-equipped other state and federal departments are to take over the Education Department’s responsibilities. The department sends billions of dollars to schools and colleges and helps decipher complex federal laws.
It will be a test for the administration: Can the department be shut down smoothly, or will rural and low-income kids and students with disabilities — the populations that most rely on federal education support — be impacted?
The website for the Free Application for Student Aid, or FAFSA, remains open — a key piece of how colleges and universities provide aid packages to incoming students. The Education Department will continue to handle support for people navigating the complicated form.The Education Department also will continue to oversee another major part of higher education: accreditation, which allows colleges to accept students’ federal financial aid.For now, the department will continue to distribute money to schools to provide educational support for students with disabilities, though McMahon has suggested this function could move to the Department of Health and Human Services.The Education Department also oversees investigations into schools and universities alleged to have violated disability rights law, along with other civil rights violations such as discrimination involving sex, race and shared ancestry.Those responsibilities will remain with the department for now, although McMahon has suggested sending them to the Department of Justice.
Lastly, in other federal education news, the Trump regime wants to support nationwide vouchers as well as charter schools. It would appear they want to fully dismantle public education as most of us know it.
Who would get hurt the most? The most vulnerable children and families in public schools.
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