United States Department of Education
U.S. federal government department From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services by the Department of Education Organization Act, which President Jimmy Carter signed into law on October 17, 1979.[3][4] An earlier iteration was formed in 1867 but was quickly demoted to the Office of Education a year later.[5]
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Seal of the United States Department of Education | |
 Flag of the United States Department of Education | |
 Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building, Department Headquarters | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 17, 1979 |
| Preceding agencies | |
| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building, 400 Maryland Avenue, Southwest, Washington, D.C., U.S. 20202 38°53′11.5″N 77°1′7.9″W |
| Employees | 4,200 (2025)[1] |
| Annual budget | 238.04B (2024)[2] |
| Department executives |
|
| Key document | |
| Website | ed.gov |
The Department of Education is administered by the United States secretary of education. In 2021 it had more than 4,000 employees – the smallest staff of the Cabinet agencies[6] – and a 2024 budget of $268 billion, up from $14 billion when it was established in 1979. In 2025, the department's budget was about four percent of the total US federal spending.[7]
Its official abbreviation is ED ("DOE" refers to the United States Department of Energy) but is also abbreviated informally as "DoEd".
On March 11, 2025, seven weeks after Donald Trump's second term began and Trump founded the Department of Government Efficiency, the department announced it would be firing nearly half of its workforce.[8] The Trump administration seeks to shut down the Department of Education.[9]
Purpose and functions
The department identifies four key functions:[10]
- Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education and distributing as well as monitoring those funds.
- Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research.
- Focusing national attention on key issues in education, and making recommendations for education reform.
- Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.
The Department of Education is a member of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness[11] and works with federal partners to ensure proper education for homeless and runaway youth in the United States.
Organization
| Program | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of Education | Office of Communications and Outreach |
| Office of the General Counsel | |
| Office of Inspector General | |
| Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs | |
| Office for Civil Rights | |
| Office of Educational Technology | |
| Institute of Education Sciences | |
| Office of Innovation and Improvement | |
| Office of the Chief Financial Officer | |
| Office of Management | |
| Office of the Chief Information Officer | |
Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
| |
| Risk Management Service | |
| Deputy Secretary of Education | Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
|
| Office of English Language Acquisition | |
| Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services | |
| Office of Innovation and Improvement | |
| Under Secretary of Education | Office of Postsecondary Education |
| Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education | |
| Office of Federal Student Aid | |
| President's advisory board on Tribal Colleges and Universities | |
| President's advisory board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities | |
| Associated federal organizations | Advisory Councils and Committees |
| National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB)[12] | |
| National Advisory Council on Indian Education | |
| Federal Interagency Committee on Education | |
| Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities | |
| National Board for Education Sciences | |
| National Board of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education | |
| Federally aided organizations | Gallaudet University |
| Howard University | |
| National Technical Institute for the Deaf | |
Budget
|
| Budget of the Department of Education for FY 2024, showing its largest components[13] |
For 2024, the US Department of Education's budget was approximately $268 billion with $79,052,238 in discretionary spending.[14] The department currently holds and maintains approximately $1.7 trillion in federal student loan debt.[15]
History
Summarize
Perspective
Early history
In 1867, President Andrew Johnson signed legislation to create a Department of Education. It was seen as a way to collect information and statistics about the nation's schools and provide advice to schools in the same way the Department of Agriculture helped farmers.[16] The department was originally proposed by Henry Barnard and leaders of the National Teachers Association, renamed the National Education Association. Barnard served as the first commissioner of education. He resigned when the office was reconfigured as a bureau in the Department of Interior, known as the United States Office of Education due to concerns it would have too much control over local schools.[17][18][19]
Over the years, the office remained relatively small, operating under different titles and housed in various agencies, including the United States Department of the Interior and the former United States Department of Health Education and Welfare (DHEW), now the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).[19] In 1920, an unsuccessful attempt at creating a Department of Education, headed by a secretary of education, came with the Smith–Towner Bill.[20]
In 1939, the organization, then a bureau, was transferred to the Federal Security Agency, where it was renamed as the Office of Education. After World War II, President Dwight D. Eisenhower promulgated "Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953". The Federal Security Agency was abolished and most of its functions were transferred to the newly formed DHEW.[21]
Promotion to department
In 1979, President Carter advocated for creating a cabinet-level Department of Education.[22] Carter's plan was to transfer most of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's education-related functions to the Department of Education.[22] Carter also planned to transfer the education-related functions of the departments of Defense, Justice, Housing and Urban Development, and Agriculture, as well as a few other federal entities.[22] Among the federal education-related programs that were not proposed to be transferred were Headstart, the Department of Agriculture's school lunch and nutrition programs, the Department of the Interior's Native Americans' education programs, and the Department of Labor's education and training programs.[22]
Upgrading Education to cabinet-level status in 1979 was opposed by many in the Republican Party, who saw the department as unconstitutional, arguing that the Constitution does not mention education, and deemed it an unnecessary and illegal federal bureaucratic intrusion into local affairs. However, others saw the department as constitutional under the Commerce Clause, and that the funding role of the department is constitutional under the Taxing and Spending Clause. The National Education Association supported the bill, while the American Federation of Teachers opposed it.[23]
In 1979, the Office of Education had 3,000 employees and an annual budget of $12 billion.[24] Congress appropriated to the Department of Education an annual budget of $14 billion and 17,000 employees when establishing the Department of Education.[25] During the 1980 presidential campaign, Gov. Reagan called for the total elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, severe curtailment of bilingual education, and massive cutbacks in the federal role in education. Once in office, President Reagan significantly reduced its budget,[26] but in 1988, perhaps to reduce conflict with Congress, he decided to change his mind and ask for an increase from $18.4 billion to $20.3 billion.[27]
Late 20th century
The 1980 Republican Party platform called for the elimination of the Department of Education created under Carter, and President Ronald Reagan promised during the 1980 presidential election to eliminate it as a cabinet post,[28] but he was not able to do so with a Democratic House of Representatives.[29] In the 1982 State of the Union Address, he pledged: "The budget plan I submit to you on Feb. 8 will realize major savings by dismantling the Department of Education."[29]
In 1984, the GOP dropped the call for elimination from its platform. With the election of President George H. W. Bush in 1988, the Republican position evolved in almost lockstep with that of the Democrats, with Goals 2000 a virtual joint effort.[citation needed]
In 1994, after the Newt Gingrich–led "revolution" took control of both houses of Congress, federal control of and spending on education soared. That trend continued unabated despite the fact that the Republican Party made abolition of the department a cornerstone of its 1996 platform and campaign promises, calling it an inappropriate federal intrusion into local, state, and family affairs.[29] The GOP platform read: "The Federal government has no constitutional authority to be involved in school curricula or to control jobs in the market place. This is why we will abolish the Department of Education, end federal meddling in our schools, and promote family choice at all levels of learning."[29]
In 2000, the Republican Liberty Caucus passed a resolution to abolish the Department of Education.[30]
21st century
The George W. Bush administration made reform of federal education a key priority of the president's first term. In 2008 and 2012, presidential candidate Ron Paul campaigned in part on an opposition to the department.[31]
Under President George W. Bush, the department primarily focused on elementary and secondary education, expanding its reach through the No Child Left Behind Act. The department's budget increased by $14 billion between 2002 and 2004, from $46 billion to $60 billion.[29][33]
In March 2007, President George W. Bush signed into law H.R. 584, which designates the ED Headquarters building as the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building.[34]
In December 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorized the Elementary Secondary Education Act. "In December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law, reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replacing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). ESEA, the federal law that authorizes federal funding for K–12 schools, represents the nation's commitment to equal educational opportunity for all students and has influenced the education of millions of children."[citation needed]
The department's 2023 budget was $274 billion, which included funding for children with disabilities (IDEA), pandemic recovery, early childhood education, Pell Grants, Title I, work assistance, among other programs. This budget was down from $637.7 billion in 2022.[35]
Efforts to abolish the department
In February 2025, President Donald Trump said he would prepare an executive order to effectively abolish or curtail the department.[36] Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has publicly stated that the department no longer "exists".[37] On March 3, 2025, the US Senate confirmed Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education. The same day she emailed ED staffers about embarking on the department's "final mission", one that would "send education back to the states".[38] ED workers described this action as a "'power grab' focused on privatization at the expense of children with disabilities and from low-income families."[39]
On March 3, 2025, Linda McMahon was sworn in as the nation's 13th secretary of education.[40] Trump emphasized that McMahon's primary objective would be to dismantle the Department of Education, stating, "I want her to put herself out of a job."[41] While the administration is preparing an executive order to initiate the department's closure, legal experts note that abolishing a federal department requires congressional approval. NBC News said, "Given their narrow majority, Republicans would need Democratic support to do that, which would make it unlikely for such a bill to pass."[42]
A Florida newspaper gave the following reasons for Trump's initiative:
- Donald Trump has expressed a desire to eliminate the Department of Education, claiming it has been overtaken by "radicals, zealots, and Marxists".
- He argues that the agency wastes taxpayer money and oversteps by involving the federal government in local education decisions, The Associated Press reported.
- Trump's push for the department's closure is rooted in its perceived role in promoting liberal ideologies in schools.[43]
President Trump's proposal to abolish the department was opposed by educators who believe the federal government has historically played an important role in American education.[44]
The position of the National Education Association (NEA), representing 2.8 million American teachers, was that
- Stripping the department of its resources and mission would be catastrophic for the millions of students in low-income communities who need educational services and support.
- Civil rights protections against discrimination based on race, gender, and disability would also be gutted.[45]
Layoffs
In February 2025, US Department of Education offered its staff incentives to resign or retire early.[46] In March 2025, ED announced a plan to reduce its workforce in half.[47]
Ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs
In February 2025, the Department of Education established an "end-DEI" portal to take complaints about DEI programs in schools. The administration also warned of cuts in federal funding for universities that continued with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.[48]
Investigations
In March 2025, the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights announced that 60 universities were under investigation for allegations of violations related to antisemitism. The investigations were sent under the authority of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act which bans any institution receiving federal funds from discriminating on race, color and national origin. The investigations come during mounting pressure on university administrations to rein in pro-Palestine protests and the Trump administration canceling $400 million in grant funding and contracts to Columbia over failure to squash antisemitism on campus. Columbia was named as one of the universities under investigation along with, Northwestern University, Portland State University, University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, and four other ivies.[49][50] This was followed by an investigation of 45 universities for allegedly using racial preferences.[51]
See also
- Council for Higher Education Accreditation
- Educational attainment in the United States
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid
- FICE code
- Federal Student Aid
- Higher education in the United States
- National Diffusion Network
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- School Improvement Grant
- Student loans in the United States
- Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations
Related legislation
- 1965: Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
- 1965: Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) (Pub. L. No. 89-329)
- 1974: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- 1974: Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA)
- 1975: Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) (Pub. L. No. 94-142)
- 1978: Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment
- 1979: Department of Education Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 96-88)
- 1984: Equal Access Act
- 1990: The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act)
- 1994: Improving America's Schools Act of 1994
- 2001: No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
- 2004: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- 2005: Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA) (Pub. L. No. 109-171)
- 2006: Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act
- 2007: America COMPETES Act
- 2008: Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) (Pub. L. No. 110-315)
- 2009: Race to the Top
- 2009: Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act
- 2010: Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
- 2015: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
References
Further reading
External links
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