The Department of Education: What's the Big Deal?

The Department of Education is a big deal for students in the U. S. It's the federal agency that makes sure kids from kindergarten to high school get a good education. It also helps out with special education programs and tries to make schools better. Plus, it gives out Pell Grants and federal student loans to college students. But lately, there's been some talk about shutting it down. The Department of Education has a big job. It wants to make sure everyone has a fair shot at education and that schools are good. It also tries to make sure federal education programs work well together. The department has around 4, 400 employees, which makes it the smallest cabinet-level department. But recently, dozens of newer employees were let go, and many more were put on leave. Why? Because of their involvement in DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) programs. This includes people who were encouraged to attend a diversity workshop during the first Trump administration. President Donald Trump has a plan to get rid of the Department of Education. He wants to do this through an executive order and push Congress to pass a law to make it permanent. The newly appointed U. S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, is supposed to start this process. In a draft order, McMahon is told to take all necessary steps to close the department. Trump has said that the U. S. spends a lot on education but isn't getting good results. He thinks states should run schools instead. Trump has been talking about this for a while. During his presidential campaign, he said he wanted to "drain the government education swamp" and stop using taxpayer money to indoctrinate youth. The Department of Education only gets about 2% of the federal budget. In late January 2025, Rep. Thomas Massie reintroduced a bill to eliminate the Department of Education. The bill says the agency would be abolished by December 31, 2026. This isn't the first time someone has tried to shut down the Department of Education. When it was created in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, President Ronald Reagan wanted to eliminate it. But he couldn't do it because Congress didn't agree. The Department of Education has been around for a while, and it's had its ups and downs. But one thing is for sure: it plays a big role in education in the U. S.