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Department of Education

Explainer

The U.S. Department of Education, Explained
There's a lot of talk—again—about eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. Here's what it does and how it works.
Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn is greeted by students at Fairmount Elementary in Bristol, Tenn., on Monday morning, June 14, 2021, during her "Accelerating TN Tour 2021." The students at Fairmount are taking part in the Summer S.T.R.E.A.M. Camp.
Penny Schwinn is greeted by students at Fairmount Elementary in Bristol, Tenn., on June 14, 2021, during her tenure as Tennessee's education commissioner. Schwinn's nomination to serve as deputy education secretary in President Donald Trump's second term has drawn praise from across the political spectrum.
David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP
Federal How the K-12 World Is Reacting to Trump's Pick for the Ed. Dept.'s No. 2 Job
While Linda McMahon brings a business background, Penny Schwinn brings a long resume in education.
Brooke Schultz, January 27, 2025
8 min read
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington.
Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. He returned to the White House this week, taking a flurry of executive actions, some of which could affect schools.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Here Are Trump's First-Week Actions That Could Affect 69´«Ă˝
There's been a lot to keep track of during Trump's first week back in the White House. Here's how it all could affect schools.
Brooke Schultz, January 24, 2025
8 min read
Young girl working on an electrical panel in a classroom setting.
iStock/Getty
Federal Most Voters Reject Trump’s Push to Cut U.S. Education Department, Poll Finds
Career-connected learning has broad support from voters across the political spectrum, according to the survey.
Alyson Klein, January 22, 2025
3 min read
Former U.S. Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan, John King, and Margaret Spellings discuss the future of the U.S. Department of Education.
From left, former education secretaries Margaret Spellings, John King, and Arne Duncan. The three former agency heads, who served during the Bush and Obama administrations respectively, discussed the future of the U.S. Department of Education during a Jan. 21, 2025, event hosted by the Brookings Institution.
Gerry Broome, Susan Walsh, Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal What 3 Former Education Secretaries Think of Their Old Department's Future
Though President Donald Trump’s first-term proposal to end the agency didn't materialize, he renewed the campaign promise last year.
Brooke Schultz, January 21, 2025
6 min read
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after his inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Trump signed a number of executive orders on his first day in office, including some taking aim at career civil servants in the federal government.
Al Drago/AP
Federal What Will Trump's Orders for Federal Workers Do to the Education Department?
Some of the president's first-day orders kick-start actions he could take to weaken the Education Department.
Alyson Klein, January 21, 2025
5 min read
The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on Feb. 21, 2021.
Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP Images
Federal Trump Names Acting Education Secretary Ahead of Linda McMahon's Confirmation
Denise Carter will fill the role until President Donald Trump's pick, Linda McMahon, is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Brooke Schultz, January 20, 2025
2 min read
080321 Tennessee Education Commissioner CRT AP BS
Penny Schwinn, who was Tennessee's education commissioner, sits with students at Fairmount Elementary in Bristol, Tenn. on June 14, 2021. Schwinn, President-elect Trump's choice for the U.S. Department of Education's No. 2 job, has a long resume of leadership roles in K-12.
David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP
Federal Trump Names Experienced Educator as His Pick for Deputy Education Secretary
Penny Schwinn, a former teacher and state schools chief, is an advocate for school choice and evidence-based reading practices.
Lesli A. Maxwell, January 18, 2025
3 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during “The Impact: Our Fight for Public Education” event at the Department of Education’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during “The Impact: Our Fight for Public Education” event at the Department of Education’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025. The event served as the capstone to Cardona's four years as education secretary under President Joe Biden.
Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
Federal As Biden Leaves Office, What Will His Education Legacy Be?
Biden's term was marked by unprecedented funding for schools, but no aggressive policy agenda. Did his administration do enough?
Brooke Schultz, January 15, 2025
12 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Opinion Betsy DeVos Has Advice for the Next Secretary of Education
In an interview, Trump's first education secretary shares hard-won lessons from her tenure.
Rick Hess, January 14, 2025
10 min read
A picture of a gavel on a target.
Bill Oxford/Getty
Law & Courts Biden's Title IX Rule to Expand Protections of Trans 69´«Ă˝ Struck Down
The Title IX rule improperly expands sex-discrimination protection to gender identity, the judge ruled.
Mark Walsh, January 9, 2025
4 min read
Scarlett Rasmussen, 8, watches a video on her tablet as mother, Chelsea, administers medication while they get ready for school, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at their home in Grants Pass, Ore. Chelsea, has fought for more than a year for her daughter, Scarlett, to attend full days at school after starting with a three-day school week. She says school employees told her the district lacked the staff to tend to Scarlett’s medical and educational needs, which the district denies. Scarlett is nonverbal and uses an electronic device and online videos to communicate, but reads at her grade level. She was born with a genetic condition that causes her to have seizures and makes it hard for her to eat and digest food, requiring her to need a resident nurse at school.
Scarlett Rasmussen, 8, watches a video on her tablet as mother, Chelsea, administers medication while they get ready for school, May 17, 2023, at their home in Grants Pass, Ore. The Education Department has scrapped a proposal that would have changed the process for how schools bill Medicaid for services they provide to students.
Lindsey Wasson/AP
Special Education Biden Administration Scraps Medicaid Change for Special Ed. Services
The proposal aimed to streamline how schools bill Medicaid for the mental health and medical services they provide to students.
Brooke Schultz, January 2, 2025
4 min read
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter waves to the congregation after teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia on April 28, 2019. Carter, 94, has taught Sunday school at the church on a regular basis since leaving the White House in 1981, drawing hundreds of visitors who arrive hours before the 10:00 am lesson in order to get a seat and have a photograph taken with the former President and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
Former President Jimmy Carter waves to the congregation after teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Ga., on April 28, 2019. He died Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, at age 100.
Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via ZUMA Press
Federal Jimmy Carter's Education Legacy Stretched From the School Board to the White House
The 39th president helped create the U.S. Department of Education. He had also been a school board member and an education-minded governor.
Mark Walsh, December 29, 2024
19 min read
Photograph of a Hispanic elementary school girl writing at her desk in a classroom setting
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English Learners Q&A What’s Ahead for the 5.3 Million English Learners in Our 69´«Ă˝?
If English learners do well, the whole nation will, says the outgoing director of the federal office of English language acquisition.
Ileana Najarro, December 19, 2024
6 min read
Then-Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump smiles at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
President-elect Donald Trump smiles at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump pledged during the campaign to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. A more plausible path could involve weakening the agency.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal 3 Ways Trump Can Weaken the Education Department Without Eliminating It
Trump's team can seek to whittle down the department's workforce, scrap guidance documents, and close offices.
Alyson Klein, December 13, 2024
4 min read