Hate It or Love It: The Department of Education Isn’t Going Anywhere

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The Department of Education is in Need of Reform, Not Abolition

Since its incarnation under Jimmy Carter in 1979, the department has faced scrutiny along with many other challenges along the way. “Betsy DeVos, after serving as education secretary under President Donald Trump, said she thought that the Department of Education should not exist.” President Ronald Reagan also saw no need for the department, and also former education secretary Lamar Alexander, who served under President W. Bush.  

                                                                      

There have been many naysayers about whether or not the department should be up and running, citing controversial and political theories. It is clear that the department should be focusing primarily on student aid and fundamental academia. If this is not the case, then major reform needs to be done. When the logistics are applied, it is apparent that some students would suffer immensely if America were to just “get rid of” the Education Department (ED). 


The ED has been around for nearly 45 years, and many state and local agencies have become reliant on the department. If the ED did not exist, the Treasury Department, Department of Justice, the Census Bureau, and perhaps many other agencies would need to pick up the slack. The mission statement on the Department of Education’s website is as follows: 


“ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”


Here are a few major foundations that the ED is responsible for:

-FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid) which delegates over $120 billion per year to over 13 millions undergraduate students in grants, work-study, and low-interest loans.  

-Public funding for students with disabilities and low-socioeconomic level populations 

-Civil Rights Enforcement in schools

-Collecting national data on all schools 

-Adult Education and Literacy Act (AEFLA)

-Title 1A, 504, and Special Education Programs

-Upward Bound Veterans Program and Disabled Veteran Resources


In 1985, President Reagan realized that it would be a tough battle to abolish the department without the help of Congress, and so decided not to move forward with it. This has been the case anytime a candidate tries to move forward with abolition. So, with a department whose roots are so intertwined into the base of our education system, what is the answer? It is the hard job of sifting through every program that is actually helping students, and differentiating which ones are wasteful or just blatantly unnecessary. Lobbying has no place in education, and reform seems like it may be an answer. 






https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview/mission-of-the-us-department-of-education


https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/10/31/why-republicans-have-failed-to-scrap-the-department-of-education


https://www.collegeboard.org/




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