MINNEAPOLIS – As President-elect Donald Trump fills out his Cabinet, there is one department for which he has yet to announce a leader.
That may be because he promised that it would no longer exist after he took office.
“Another thing I will do very early in this administration is close down the Department of Education in Washington, D.C.,” he said in a 2023 campaign ad, a promise he continued to make in the days leading up to the election.
About 45 years ago, President Jimmy Carter signed the creation of the U.S. Department of Education, which previously fell under Health and Human Services.
The aim was not to control schools and universities, but to advise and help.
“And that the federal government is there, eager to help, to bridge gaps, to consult or eliminate problems,” then-President Carter said in 1979.
However, the next president in line believes the department is the problem and plans to close it down.
“We spend more per student than any other country in the world and are at the bottom of every list,” Trump said during a campaign stop.
Nicola Alexander – an associate dean for undergraduate education, diversity and international initiatives at the University of Minnesota – says the department is “trying to level the educational playing field.”
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“It’s trying to promote educational excellence on a national landscape, as opposed to a 50-state conversation,” Alexander said. “For example, Title I provides funding to the federal government to help states serve low-income children.”
in fiscal year 2024, the department has budgeted $18.3 billion to help students and schools in high-poverty areas meet academic standards, with the goal of helping close the gap with schools in wealthier communities.
It has also budgeted more than $14 billion to help states fund programs and education for students with disabilities.
The department’s total budget last fiscal year was about $228 billion. When distributed, federal dollars make up about 8% of an elementary school’s budget, with the rest coming from state and local taxes.
A large majority of the department’s budget, or $120 billion, goes to federal student aid programs. This also includes loans and grants to help people pay for college and other postsecondary education.
Does the department have control over how school districts and states design their curriculum?
“It may have influence, but I wouldn’t say it has control,” Alexander said.
State and local governments determine curriculum and academic standards, as well as licensing requirements for teachers.
“One of the ways I rely heavily on the [the department] is through data collection at the Center for National Education Statistics,” Alexander said.
The department has a strong research body, one of its most important functions alongside funding programmes. Collecting data helps inform ideas and initiatives that improve student achievement and determine where and how the department distributes funding.
What would happen if the department were closed? Alexander said the potential reality is unclear.
“I would wonder if some of the core missions that we rely on, both as institutions and individuals, how many of those would survive,” Alexander said.
A complete overview of the department’s fiscal year 2025 budget can be found here.
