When people in the US hear the word “education,” they often think of lessons in classrooms, public schools, and textbooks. But the US Department of Education is working behind the scenes to change how education is done across the country. The Education Department (commonly called “ED”) doesn’t directly run schools or write your textbooks, but it has a big impact on everything from student loans to civil rights protections in the classroom. In this post, we’ll explain what this department really does, where it comes from, what its goals are, and how it’s set up to help millions of Americans get an education.
A Quick Look Back at How the Department Started
In fact, the U.S. Department of Education is a rather new agency. President Jimmy Carter signed a legislation on October 17, 1979, that officially separated education from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Before that, different government agencies were in charge of different parts of education, which caused confusion and overlap. Carter thought that education should get its own attention, like a whole federal agency. But not everyone was on board. Some others were worried that the federal government would have too much power over local schools. Supporters, on the other hand, said that making education a Cabinet-level issue conveyed a clear message: learning is important, and the federal government should help it.
A Few Important Events in History
- 1867: The first government office for education was set up, but it was quickly trimmed back.
- In 1958, the US established the National Defense Education Act in reaction to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik. This law granted money to programs in math and science.
- Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” in 1965 led to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was aimed to help schools that didn’t have enough money.
- The Department of Education as we know it was set up and started working in 1979–1980.
What happened? A modest but powerful federal agency that helps pupils do well in school.
“Promoting Student Achievement and Preparing Them for Global Competitiveness by Fostering Educational Excellence and Ensuring Equal Access” Is the Motto That Says It All
The Department’s motto, although may sound a little grand, is a perfect fit for its goal.
The Department of Education wants all students, no matter their color, religion, or socioeconomic status, to have the same chance to achieve. It wants to help kids do well in a competitive world by closing inequalities in fairness, encouraging school innovation, and making sure that education prepares kids for more than just standardized tests.
This involves helping students attain their full academic potential and giving them the confidence, knowledge, and resources they need to do successfully in college, at employment, and in life after graduation.
The Numbers That Say It All
When you think of government agencies, you generally think of red tape and enormous expenditures. The Department of Education is no different, and its budget shows how deeply it is involved in American education:
- Budget for the year: around $82 billion (FY 2023)
- There are little under 4,000 employees, making it one of the smallest Cabinet departments in terms of workforce size.
- Federal Student Loans: 43 million borrowers owe more than $1.6 trillion in loans.
- Pell Grants: The federal government gives out more than $27 billion a year to more than 6.2 million students.
- Title I Funds: Schools that help poor kids get about $16.5 billion a year.
- K–12 School for the Public: There are about 49.5 million students.
- School for Everyone: There are more than 3.2 million teachers.
These data illustrate that the Department of Education has an impact on practically every student in some way, especially when it comes to money and justice.
🏛️ Who’s in Charge? Structure and Important Parts
You might think of the Department as one office in Washington, but it’s really a group of teams that work on different parts of education. The Secretary of Education, presently Miguel Cardona, is in charge of the Department’s mission and gives advice to the President.
Let’s look at some important sections of the Department:
- 🏫 Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): This office is in charge of K–12 programs, especially for towns that need help. It runs Title I programs and school improvement awards, and it helps schools that are trying to improve student outcomes.
- This is the office that has the most effect on you if you’re in college or thinking about going to college. It makes rules about access to higher education, accreditation, and programs that support students who are not well represented.
- FSA, or Federal Student Aid: You may have heard of FAFSA, which stands for “Free Application for Federal Student Aid.” This office is in charge of that system and of federal loans, grants, and work-study programs.
- ⚖️ The Civil Rights Office (OCR): This important office makes sure that no one is treated unfairly in schools. That entails making sure that regulations about race, gender, handicap, and other things are followed.
- Institute of Education Sciences (IES): The research element of the Department. It is like the “brain” of education policy since it does research, gathers data, and helps schools employ evidence-based approaches.
- The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): This office fights for students with disabilities and makes sure they have the tools and support they need to do well.
🎯 What Is the Point? Goals and Current Priorities
What does the Department really wish to do?
Here are its key goals:
- Make it easier for everyone to get a good education at all levels.
- Make sure that everyone has the same opportunities, no matter their race, income, or location.
- Help keep students secure and healthy in their minds.
- Make college less expensive.
- Make the mechanism for student loans easier to understand.
- Promote new ideas and access to technology in schools.
For example, in 2022 and 2023, the Department worked on helping students pay off their loans and getting more connectivity to communities that don’t have it yet so that more people can learn online. In 2024, a lot of work went into making up for the learning loss caused by the pandemic and putting money into school counselors and mental health programs.
😬 It’s Hard to Find a Balance Between Criticism and Controversy
Every government agency has its critics, and the ED is no exception. Its involvement has led to years of dispute about how much control the federal government should have over schools.
Common Criticisms
- “Too much federal control”: A lot of people think that choices about education should be made at the local level.
- “Bureaucracy overload”: Students and schools often say that the rules and processes for getting financial aid are too cumbersome.
- “Whiplash from politics”: With each new administration, the focus changes from testing and school choice to fairness and forgiving student loans.
According to a Pew Research report from 2023:
- 57% of Americans want the federal government to give more money to schools, but 38% think the federal government is overly involved in local education issues.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle: federal help makes opportunities more equitable, but education is still a very personal and community-based experience.
📚 Final Thoughts: Why It Matters
The U.S. Department of Education is vital to everyone, including students, parents, teachers, and taxpayers. This invisible hand makes rules that pay for schools, control colleges, protect civil rights, and decide what and how future generations learn.
It’s not perfect at all. But it’s not enough for a federal body to be in charge of making education more fair, accessible, and ready for the future in a country as huge and diverse as the US. It is necessary.
Sources
- The U.S. Department of Education
- The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Congressional Budget Office
- Pew Research Center White House Briefings
Frequently Asked Questions
How Did the Department of Education Come to Be?
The Department of Education Organization Act, which President Jimmy Carter signed into law on October 17, 1979, created the contemporary U.S. Department of Education. It formally opened for business on May 4, 1980. The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare used to be in charge of education policy. The goal was to put education on the Cabinet table and make federal initiatives more efficient by putting them all under one agency.
🔹 What Is the Department of Education?
The Department of Education is a federal Cabinet-level organization that makes national education policy, makes sure that civil rights laws are followed in schools, gives out government money to schools and students, and collects data to make education better. It doesn’t administer schools or draw up curricula; instead, it helps states and schools do such things.
🔹 What Does the Department of Education Do?
It gives students grants and loans, makes sure everyone has the same access to education, enforces federal education laws, promotes special education, controls college accreditation, and does research to make teaching and learning better in the U.S. It also runs federal student aid programs including FAFSA and Pell Grants.
🔹 What Does the Department of Education Do?
Its job is to help and improve education at all levels, especially where state and municipal resources are lacking. It makes sure that federal laws are followed (including Title IX and IDEA), promotes fairness, and protects students’ civil rights. It also collects data on education around the country to help shape policy and best practices.
🔹 What Does the Department of Education Do That Is Important?
The Department is particularly important for making sure that every student, no matter where they come from, gets a fair chance to do well. It gives important money to schools who don’t get enough, aids students with disabilities, and makes college less expensive. Many schools and students risk lose important resources and protections if they don’t have it.
What Will Happen If the Department of Education Is No Longer There?
If the Department were to be shut down, all education issues would fall under the authority of states and local governments. Some people see this as a return to local control, but others are worried that it would lead to:
- Funding that isn’t equal and disparities in opportunities
- No more government student aid programs
- Less strict enforcement of civil rights in schools
- No national statistics or educational research
In short, kids who are already having a hard time could be the most hurt by this adjustment.
What Does It Mean to Get Rid of the Department of Education?
When people say “dismantling,” they usually mean closing down the agency and assigning its duties to states or other departments. Some politicians who think that education should be run fully by the state have come up with this proposal. But opponents say that without government regulation, educational inequality and prejudice might get worse, and many students might not be able to get help and protections.
🔹 Who Is in Charge of the Department of Education?
The U.S. Secretary of Education is in charge of the Department. The President picks this person and the Senate approves them. Miguel Cardona has this job since 2025. The Secretary works with a group of Assistant Secretaries and Office Directors who are in charge of different parts of education policy and activities.
🔹 What Does the Department of Education Do to Support College Students?
The Department serves millions of college students every year through Federal Student Aid (FSA), which gives them access to:
- Grants, such as Pell Grants
- Loans for students
- Programs that let you work and study
It also makes sure that institutions satisfy academic standards by regulating accreditation agencies and enforcing rules that safeguard student borrowers.
🔹 What Does the Department Do to Help K–12 Education?
It gives money to initiatives that help schools with low-income children, pupils with disabilities, and teachers who want to improve their skills. It also gives schools tools to make them safer, help kids with mental health issues, and get more access to technology, especially in regions that don’t have a lot of resources.
🔹 Can the Department of Education Tell Schools What to Teach?
No. The state and local levels make decisions about the curriculum. The Department can affect education by giving schools money and advice on policies, but it can’t tell schools what to teach. That is protected by law to keep local sovereignty over what is taught in schools.
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