One of the biggest goals of President Donald Trump's second term was the Education Division, a federal agency that oversees federal law enforcement in schools in 1979. He called the division “a massive job,” and Linda McMahon, who confirmed he would lead the agency on Monday, expressed his hopes to “get out of work.”
In an email to the department shortly after her confirmation, McMahon called on staff to “participate in this historic final mission.” She described it as “a last chance to restore the culture of freedom and excellence that has made American education great.”
Trump also reportedly plans an executive order to abolish the department, although he cannot legally close it without cooperation from Congress. (During her confirmation hearing, McMahon agreed that Congressional action was necessary and said some programs would continue.) Meanwhile, the agency's office for Civil Rights has switched its focus from protecting students from racial and disability discrimination to investigating cases of transgender athletes competing in women's sports. Elon Musk's Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has already cut research programs, with the administration excluded dozens of employees. This says that pro-educational actions eliminate the amount to eliminate the department except by name.
“They're really hitting it from within,” said Blair Wyston, senior manager of government affairs at Edtrust, a nonprofit for education equity. “Those who suffer will become children.”
It's not just children. In addition to strengthening underfunded K-12 schools and protecting the rights of children with disabilities, the department also manages the federal financial aid process for university students. “We don't know if students will be able to receive financial aid next year,” Dominique Baker, professor of education and public policy at the University of Delaware, told VOX.
Critics from the Department of Education have misrepresented it as a tool for the federal government to control schools. In fact, it is the institution tasked with supporting the nation's most underserved students, overseeing the large, complex ecosystem of federal student loans, and disrupting their functions can impact students and families across the country.
What the education department does
Let's start with talking about the education department. it's not do. They don't set up a K-12 curriculum or tell the school what to teach. It depends on the state and individual district. So when Trump says he wants to remove the education sector to send education “to the states,” it's somewhat misleading as states and local governments are already in charge of what they've learned in schools.
What the department is doing is to “implement all federal laws and policies focused on schools.” At the K-12 level, much of the job involves supporting vulnerable and underserved students, according to Kenneth Wong, professor of education policy at Brown University.
Under the program known as Title I, the department is sending federal money to schools to help low-income students hire additional teachers and strengthening core areas like reading, Wong said. The federal government accounts for around 14% of all schools, while low-income schools receive additional funding, according to the Associated Press.
The department also sends money to the state under the Disabled Education Act (IDEA) to provide small class sizes and other support to students with disabilities, and helps state governments learn the differences in learning that they cannot buy on their own.
These programs are important for many elementary, middle and high schools across the country, but the education sector plays an even bigger role in colleges and universities, Baker said. This will ensure that the federal financial aid application FAFSA is available to students and that the information they enter is sent to the university to ensure that the money is actually paid.
The department also helps to ensure that for-profit universities are not “scamming students.”
Two other important features you should know: The education department serves as a “student civil rights watchdog” for schools and universities from kindergarten to high school, Wriston said. If students with disabilities are not supported, they must access their legal right to education. This is support from wheelchair lamps to occupational therapy to one-on-one aides. Students and their families may also submit to the office if they believe they have experienced racism at school.
Additionally, through the Institute of Educational Sciences, the faculty conducts national education research, including a national assessment of the Educational Progress (NAEP) test, the best source of national data on student reading and mathematics skills. “The majority of the statistics we know about schooling come from data collected by the federal government,” Baker said.
What Trump wants to do and what Doge already does
It is unclear exactly how the Trump administration will “close” the education sector. He cannot completely eliminate the department without the assistance of Congress. While laws are in place to do so, they rarely pass closely divided House and Senate. Instead, Trump was able to try and move some of the department to other agencies. Project 2025, a blueprint for many of the Trump administration's actions up to now, calls for the conversion of Title I funds into state grants and transfer of civil rights to the Department of Justice.
However, Doge was not waiting for an executive order and ended dozens of contracts at the Institute of Education and Science in February. Although the cuts reportedly do not affect the NAEP test, much of the lab's work is “based on stoppages,” Baker said.
Meanwhile, more than 60 department employees, including those responsible for civil rights and financial aid, will be fired, with more layoffs in the future. (The Department of Education has around 4,400 employees.) Last Friday, the employee received an email offering $25,000 if he agreed to quit by Monday. According to the New York Times, the message also says that there is a “very significant reduction in power” coming.
Regardless of what happens with future executive orders, the Trump administration and Doge are “actively dismantling the department,” Wyston said.
How to interfere with the education sector hurts students
The demolition has already affected students. The family told The Associated Press that it will be based on the suspension of processing disability rights complaints in the department as soon as Trump takes office. This left a 12-year-old with autism or epilepsy, including a 12-year-old with unreliable epilepsy, leaving students who lost valuable weeks and months of learning in some cases.
Instead, the department focuses on trans athletes and bathrooms for all genders. The agency also wrote to school leaders saying that if they could diversify teaching staff and take steps to recruit students of color for selective programs, according to Chalkbeat, they could face investigations.
Meanwhile, cuts at the Institute of Educational Sciences include programs that address literacy among young children and improve high school transitions for students with disabilities, Wriston said. The demolition of the lab is particularly ironic at the time of national concerns over a decline in NAEP scores, he said. “We're going to completely destroy the agency that's doing the real work here gathering research and evidence that helps inform our practices.”
Without the data collected by the lab, it would be even more difficult for taxpayers to see the impact that could be reduced by the federal government on children's education, Baker said.
Meanwhile, at the university level, experts fear a breakdown of the basic system that allows students to apply, use and repay student loans. Without a functional education sector, it is not clear how students' financial information will be collected and sent to the university for financial aid decisions, or who will prove the borrower's income for an income-based repayment plan, Baker said. The division has already struggled to unlock new FAFSAs last year, and was given contracts and other changes cancelled under the new administration.
Experts say it can make it easier for universities to lie to students about graduation rates and graduate success, as it could potentially hinder the department's research and monitoring capabilities.
Over the long term, splitting programs like Title I and ideas for other departments — each with their own capabilities and priorities — could undermine the program's ability to serve high-needed students created to support, Wong said. The education department is full of professionals who have spent their careers serving students, while the other departments do not have the same expertise. And of course, other departments are also in Doge-era chopping blocks, Wriston noted.
As Trump and Doji move forward with their plans, supporters and voters can respond by “enhancing and being influenced by the stories of affected communities, families, students and educators.” “These perspectives are important right now.”
Students and families are most directly affected by changes in the education sector, but these changes have raised broader concerns. Some of the programs that have been terminated by Doge are mandatory in Congress, and if the President or Musk can simply stop them, “it means that Congress actually stops working,” Baker said.
“There's no more government checks and balances,” Baker said. “An important part of this goes beyond education and speaks to the constitutional crisis that will shape our country's future.”
