President Donald Trump called for a shutdown of the United States Department of Education in an executive order signed on March 20.
This order is known by the name “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” According to the order, the Department of Education will be responsible for its own termination under the direction of the secretary of education, Linda McMahon.
“Our Nation’s bright future relies on empowered families, engaged communities, and excellent educational opportunities for every child,” the order said. “Unfortunately, the experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars — and the unaccountable bureaucracy those programs and dollars support — has plainly failed our children, our teachers, and our families.”
Although the Department of Education is an executive office and therefore falls under Trump’s control, its closure is not his decision. Congress has the power to dismantle federal departments, and a bill titled H.R.899 was introduced in late January, calling for the closure of the Department of Education in December 2026.
“True change does not happen overnight—especially the historic overhaul of a federal agency,” McMahon said in a speech posted on the Department of Education website. “Over the coming months, as we work hard to carry out the President’s directives, we will focus on a positive vision for what American education can be.”
In terms of K-12 education, McMahon called for a departure from “divisive DEI programs and gender ideology” and making sure “parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education.” She also noted that postsecondary education should allow students to achieve a well-paying career that aligns with the needs of the workforce.
According to the Department of Education website, the organization is responsible for federal aid for education (such as FAFSA), collecting data on America’s schools, identifying educational issues and preventing discrimination in schools.
The National Education Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, among other groups, filed a lawsuit against Trump and his call for the closure of the Department of Education on March 24.
One of the main faults that the executive order found with the Department of Education is with the current academic performance of children, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
“Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them,” the order said. “Today, American reading and math scores are near historical lows. This year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math.”
However, the Department of Education has a greater focus on higher education than K-12 education, and has very little involvement with the education of eighth graders. Their website states that the Department of Education is only responsible for about 8% of K-12 funding.
“Education is primarily a State and local responsibility in the United States,” the Department of Education website reads. “It is States and communities, as well as public and private organizations of all kinds, that establish schools and colleges, develop curricula, and determine requirements for enrollment and graduation.”