President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to dismantle the country’s Department of Education in order to fulfill his controversial campaign promises.
For a long time, the department has been plagued by pillars by conservatives who argue that education should be under state control and that the sector is contaminated by liberal ideas.
Constitutional challenges hamper the smooth development of Trump’s order. Here’s everything we know:
What does the Ministry of Education do?
This sector is a cabinet-level institution examining the national education policy of the United States. Founded by Congress in 1979, it was urged by former Democrat President Jimmy Carter.
The department distributes federal loans and education aid, including Pell Grant, which benefits low-income students. Collect data on the US education system. Identify problems in the system. It enforces the Federal Education Act on Non-Discrimination and Civil Rights.
Even before Trump signed the executive order on Thursday, his administration was driving attrition on the agency.
Before Trump was launched, the department had 4,133 workers. Since his inauguration, staff have almost halved as 600 employees accept voluntary resignations and the rest are on administrative leave. As of March 11, there were approximately 2,183 workers in the department.
The cuts in work are coming along with wider workforce cuts across the federal government led by Elon Musk and his Government Efficiency (DOGE).
What does the executive order say?
The order is called “Improvement of educational outcomes by empowering parents, states, and communities.” It calls on long-term Trump ally Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to encourage department closures.
The order says closing the department would give the child and his parents an opportunity to escape the “system that’s failing them.”
“The federal education bureaucracy is not working,” the order said. Data show that 70% of eighth graders are proficient in reading, and 72% are proficient in mathematics.
How do US students perform?
The NAEP’s 2024 report shows that there has not been a significant change in the way students score in reading and mathematics since 2022.
But, more broadly speaking, NAEP data shows that the average reading scores for 8th graders have not increased or decreased significantly since the early 1970s. The average mathematics scores have steadily risen since 1973, and rose steadily until 2012, but before picking up a bit in 2024 it fell slightly and steadily.
According to the Better Life Index, created by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and published in 2020, the United States ranked 8th out of 41 countries in terms of educational attainment. However, the US ranked 19th in terms of student skills. Furthermore, the average US student exceeded the OECD average for reading, literacy, mathematics and science.
In mathematics, the US ranked 28th out of 37 OECD countries in 2022, according to the Pew Research Center. In science, the United States ranked 12th in the same year.
What do Americans want?
According to a 2024 poll conducted by the national nonprofit ALL4ED, 58% of respondents on the party line did not want the Ministry of Education to be abolished.
“It’s a political theatre, not a serious public policy,” the American Council of Education, president of a nonprofit higher education institution, said in response to Trump’s orders.
“The administration and Congress should focus on improving important jobs that benefit ordinary Americans, rather than unilateral and thoughtless reductions in the sector’s workforce and ability to serve Americans,” Mitchell said in a statement Thursday.
What happens to student loans?
Loans and grants will continue to be provided, according to Trump’s executive order.
This sector is the biggest source of loans for college students in the US. The US outstanding loan balance is $1.69 trillion for nearly 43 million student borrowers.
The order states that “effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs and benefits that Americans rely on will be ensured.”
Trump said Thursday that the services will be “fully preserved and redistributed to various other institutions and departments.”
It is unclear how this redistribution will occur, but Trump says the state will take over most of the functions of the department.
What’s next?
Trump’s order cannot be deployed without Congressional approval, as Congress has the discretion to close cabinet-level departments.
Some Congressional members have moved forward by saying they support Trump’s move.
“I agree with President Trump that the Department of Education has failed that mission,” Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said in a news release.
“The department can only be closed with Congressional approval, so we support the President’s goals by bringing the law to achieve this as soon as possible.”
But it may not be easy for Trump to get Congressional approval.
If the law is introduced, 60 members of the 100-seat Senate must vote to close the department. The Republicans are 53 senators, not reaching the required majority.
In 2023, the House of Representatives voted to close the agency. The move was opposed not only by Democrats but also by 60 Republicans. The house currently has 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats.
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