President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order dismantling the Department of Education (DOE), a historic move designed to promote education freedom nationwide and return authority over education back to the states.
“The United States spends more money on education, by far, than any other country,” President Trump said at the signing. “Yet, we rank near the bottom of the list in terms of success. It’s an amazing stat. … We’re at the bottom of the list, and that’s where we are, like it or not.”
The executive order, “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities,” states,
Therefore, the order directs Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.”
It also directs McMahon to ensure the “uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.” The order does not cut all the money the DOE provides; rather, it shifts control over education programs and dollars back to the states.
A fact sheet published by the White House notes that the DOE has spent over $3 trillion since its inception in 1979 “with virtually nothing to show for it.”
“Despite per-pupil spending having increased by more than 245% over that period,” the White House observes, “there has been virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement”:
Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds are at the lowest level in decades.
Six-in-ten fourth graders and nearly three-quarters of eighth graders are not proficient in math.
Seven-in-ten fourth and eighth graders are not proficient in reading, while 40% of fourth grade students don’t even meet basic reading levels.
Standardized test scores have remained flat for decades.
U.S. students rank 28 out of 37 among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries in math.
Present for the signing were Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, Moms for Liberty founder Tiffany Justice and school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president’s decision to shutter the DOE in an interview on Fox News:
Ryan Walters, State Superintendent of Oklahoma, issued a statement about the president’s order on X.
“President Trump has been clear about his education agenda,” Walters wrote. “He is going to champion school choice and parents’ rights; and he is going to make sure that we have a pro-patriotic curriculum in our schools.”
In an interview with Fox News, Walters chronicled some of the reasons behind the president’s decision to shutter the DOE.
“To illustrate how important this is, you have thousands of bureaucrats that are up there pushing a left-wing agenda, the most radical agenda the country has ever seen,” Walters said. “They’re teaching kids to hate their country; they’re teaching kids to hate their faith; you’ve seen anti-Christian, anti-Judaism bias in the agency.”
“You’ve seen them pushing transgenderism on states. You’ve seen them use such a heavy, authoritarian hand as to threaten the states if they didn’t allow boys into girl’s bathrooms, boys into girls’ sports,” Walters added.
Indeed, the DOE has been weaponized to promote left-wing causes in recent years, particularly under the Biden administration:
The DOE reinterpreted Title IX by redefining “sex” to include “gender identity,” thereby forcing schools to permit men into women’s locker rooms, bathrooms and sports.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona requested the National School Boards Association ask former President Joe Biden to investigate parent protests at school board meetings as “domestic terrorism and hate crimes.”
Secretary Cardona pressured states to adopt COVID-19 vaccine mandates for students.
The DOE spent $1 billion on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) grants, trainings and programs over the past four years.
In his interview, Walters added, “You’re finally going to see the teachers unions’ number one ally, the federal Department of Education, go away, so now parents can truly be in charge of their kids’ education.”
Since his inauguration, the president has already taken steps to radically reduce the size and scope of the DOE, including reducing its workforce by nearly 50%; closing seven of the 13 Offices of Civil Rights by June 9, 2025; announcing investigations into states and schools which permit men to compete in girls’ sports; and freezing $174 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its policies forcing women to compete against men, among other actions.
While the president’s order is sure to face legal challenges in the weeks and months ahead, it can’t be denied that changes – big changes – were needed at the DOE.
Parents have the right to direct the upbringing and education of their children; this order is a great step forward in protecting and defending that right.
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Resources: Schools & Related Issues
Dept of Ed Reduces Size, Scope; Grows Power to Cut DEI, Racism
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