Since taking office, the Trump Administration has undertaken significant actions to reduce the size and scope of the U.S. Department of Education including leadership changes, workforce reduction, office closures and policy shifts. New energy is being directed to root out DEI and racism from school programs nationwide.
After years of declining student outcomes and wasted money, many believe a change is not only warranted, but essential.
Leadership Appointment
On March 3, 2025, Linda McMahon was confirmed as the new secretary of education. Secretary McMahon’s primary objective, as outlined and supported by President Trump, is to dismantle the Department of Education.
In an email to agency staff, later shared on the agency’s website, McMahon told employees that the Department of Education is not working as intended and a review is long overdue. She asserted that in her professional experience “disruption leads to innovation and gets results.” She told staff that they must think about their work to overhaul the agency as the “final mission at the department.”
In the email, she very clearly laid out three convictions of the department:
Parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education.
Taxpayer-funded education should refocus on meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology.
Postsecondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs.
After spending over one trillion dollars since the department’s formation in 1980, with declining student outcomes, McMahon referred to the agency’s work under her leadership as “one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students.”
Workforce Reduction
Notably, this month the administration announced plans to reduce federal employees at the U.S. Department of Education by over 1,300 workers.
This reduction, coupled with nearly 600 employees who accepted voluntary resignation and retirement packages, represents a nearly 50% reduction in the federal workforce at the Department of Education.
Secretary McMahon said that the reduction “reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers.”
The action is consistent with promises Trump made on the campaign trail to decrease the size of the agency.
According to the department’s press release, employees impacted by the reduction will be placed on administrative leave beginning Friday, March 21. They will receive full pay and benefits until June 9, 2025, in addition to “substantial severance pay or retirement benefits.”
Office Closures
Due to the reduction in workforce, seven of the 13 Offices of Civil Rights (OCR) will completely close by June 9, 2025, including offices in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. OCR offices in Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, Seattle and Washington, D.C. will remain open. There are about 550 OCR workers employed by the Department of Education. Approximately 243 of the OCR employees received termination letters, a majority of them lawyers.
Policy Shifts
Not only is the Department of Education hyper-focused on decentralizing education and giving more power to states, local education authorities and parents, but it is also committed to rooting out radical ideology and racism from primary, secondary and higher education.
Under Trump’s leadership, the U.S. Department of Education has ceased enforcement of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs that, among other things, allowed men to compete against women in women’s sports.
In February of this year, it created an “end-DEI” portal for the public to submit complaints about DEI programs in schools and warned schools that federal funding could be cut for non-compliance.
In late February, the Department of Education announced an investigation into apparent discrimination in Maine’s schools where males were allowed to compete in female sports.
This week, the federal government froze $174 million in federal funding headed to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) due to its policies which force women to compete against men in sports. UPenn made headlines in 2022, when they allowed a mediocre biological male swimmer, Lia Thomas, to compete against women.
In March, the Department of Education sent letters to 60 colleges and universities warning them of enforcement actions that will be taken against their institutions if they permit antisemitism on campus.
The department also opened investigations into 52 higher education institutions who receive federal funding for alleged violations of federal law that prohibit the use of racial preferences and stereotypes as a factor in “hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and other programs and activities.”
Legal Challenges
The effort to close offices and reduce the workforce at the U.S. Department of Education has been met with a legal challenge. A coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit attempting to block the administration’s efforts. The lawsuit argues that such actions would severely impair its ability to fulfill legally mandated functions.
In response, the Department of Education defended its actions claiming the executive branch has the authority to reorganize, enhance efficiency and reduce redundancy. The department also maintains that all their actions have been done in full compliance with existing federal laws. Finally, the agency argues that the restructure is essential to achieving the administration’s policy objective to decentralize education oversight and give more control to state and local authorities.
Further Executive Action to Dismantle Department of Education
An executive order to dismantle the Department of Education is still expected. A complete abolition of the department would require Congressional action because it was statutorily created by Congress.
At present, there appears to be much work for the Department of Education to do as it enforces federal law and makes sure radical ideology and DEI practices are cut from education programs across the country. In the future, enforcement actions could be carried out by the Department of Justice if an executive order were to limit the work of the Department of Education.
Related Articles and Resources:
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Department of Education Blew $1 Billion on DEI – Here’s Why It Matters
Department of Education: Schools Embracing DEI Will Lose Funding
New Education Secretary Linda McMahon: ‘Send Education to the States’
Image from Getty.
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