Introduction to the Dismantling of the Department of Education
Fulfilling a campaign promise – one that experts say will significantly harm Black students — President Donald Trump is set to sign a sweeping executive order that begins dismantling the Department of Education, a cabinet-level agency created in part to ensure all children have equal access to K-12 education. The order, which directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take “all necessary steps” to wind down the department, comes just days after nearly half of the DOE’s staff, including employees responsible for education policy research, data collection, and statistical analysis, were fired last week.
Background on the Department of Education
McMahon, who Trump instructed to “put herself out of a job” at a recent press conference, was confirmed by the Senate earlier this month. Civil rights groups, state attorneys general, and education advocates have already vowed to fight the order, pointing out that only Congress can eliminate a cabinet-level agency it created. The DOE is also tasked with investigating public school discrimination complaints, protecting students’ civil rights from marginalized groups, and distributing federal money to underfunded public schools.
“Reckless and Dangerous”
Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Education Committee, said Thursday that dismantling the DOE would put “low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, and rural students at risk.” National Education Association President Becky Pringle said Wednesday that by signing the order Trump “will hurt all students by sending class sizes soaring, cutting job training programs, making higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle class families, taking away special education services for students with disabilities, and gutting student civil rights protections.”
Impact on Black Students
Fedrick Ingram, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s largest educators’ union, said the executive order “is directly in line with Trump’s overall effort to erase any gains made by Black folks, women, the LGBTQ community, and anyone else he seems to dislike.” From school funding to racially-biased tests to Trump-era restrictions on the teaching of Black history, “Black students have had the chips stacked against them for decades,” Ingram told Word In Black last week. Gutting the department that helped them, he said, is “cruel.”
The Role of the Department of Education
In a statement, the NAACP called the move “reckless and dangerous for America’s children” and the future of our nation. “What we are witnessing is not only the dismantling of an agency but the unraveling of our democracy.” The Trump administration has already taken steps to narrow the agency’s authority and significantly cut its workforce while communicating its plans to try to shutter it. Since its creation in 1979 during the Carter administration, the DOE has played a pivotal role in ensuring equity in education and enforcing civil rights laws. Its Office for Civil Rights investigated discrimination cases in schools, particularly when states or local districts failed to act.
Racial Gap Will Widen
For Black students, the OCR has been vital in challenging disproportionate punishment of Black students, unfair access to advanced classes and coursework, and racially biased school funding. It also helps administer government loans for college, which a disproportionate number of Black students use to pay for their education. Without the DOE, advocates warn, stubborn racial disparities in education — already difficult to close — will grow even wider. A White House fact sheet said the order directs McMahon “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
Expert Insights
Christopher Nellum, executive director of EdTrust, a nonprofit advocacy organization, also told Word In Black last week that removing federal oversight by dismantling the DOE will unequivocally hurt Black students. “The Department of Education’s role is to provide oversight, accountability, and protect civil rights,” Nellum says. “There’s no part of dismantling the agency that will make any of this better. It will only make it worse — and Black students will bear the brunt of it.”
About Word In Black
The Word In Black Racial Equity Fund, a component fund of Local Media Foundation, supports the work of Black-owned and operated local news media by providing critical journalism resources for Word In Black, a collaborative effort of 10 legendary Black publishers. Soon after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Local Media Foundation established the Fund, originally called the Fund for Black Journalism. In the months after launch, donations to the Fund provided resources for LMF and 10 of the nation’s leading Black-owned local news organizations — AFRO News, The Atlanta Voice, Dallas Weekly, Houston Defender, Michigan Chronicle, New York Amsterdam News, Sacramento Observer, Seattle Medium, St. Louis American, and Washington Informer — to establish Word In Black.
Conclusion
The dismantling of the Department of Education is a move that has been met with significant opposition from civil rights groups, education advocates, and lawmakers. The potential consequences of this action are far-reaching and could have a devastating impact on Black students and other marginalized groups. As the situation continues to unfold, it is essential to stay informed and to support organizations that are working to protect the rights of these students.
FAQs
- Q: What is the Department of Education, and what is its role in the US education system?
A: The Department of Education is a cabinet-level agency responsible for ensuring equal access to education for all children, investigating discrimination complaints, and distributing federal funds to underfunded schools. - Q: Why is the Trump administration seeking to dismantle the Department of Education?
A: The Trump administration has cited the need to return education authority to the states as the reason for dismantling the Department of Education. - Q: How will the dismantling of the Department of Education affect Black students?
A: The dismantling of the Department of Education is expected to widen the racial gap in education, as the agency has played a crucial role in challenging disproportionate punishment, unfair access to advanced classes, and racially biased school funding. - Q: What is Word In Black, and how does it relate to the Department of Education?
A: Word In Black is a collaborative effort of 10 legendary Black publishers that provides critical journalism resources and supports the work of Black-owned and operated local news media. The organization has been covering the developments related to the Department of Education and its potential dismantling.
