Dismantling ED Won’t Fix What’s Broken

We’re interrupting our Louisiana series to respond to the news that an Executive Order (EO) is in the works from the White House, though its release has been delayed. As the WSJ reported this morning, the draft EO directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department,” stating, “The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars—and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support—has failed…”

This EO is framed as a move toward local control — and we believe big changes can happen when states lead the way (just look at Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee). But the reality is, most educational decisions already happen at the state and local level. In fact, federal dollars and programs make up about 10% of local education budgets. 

This EO argues that the Education Department should be dismantled because (a) too much money has been spent and (b) student outcomes remain poor. We agree that money can and should be spent better and that the national trends are unacceptable. But the EO raises the question: How does weakening the federal role, which is the single accountability backstop, fix the problem? 

In other words, without key federal safeguards, we risk losing the mandate for states to focus on ensuring all students learn and grow. While it remains to be seen how this order will be interpreted by the administration, here are the three critical things to watch: 

1️⃣ What Happens with Assessment and Accountability? The National Assessment of Education Progress allows us, as a nation, to understand how our students are progressing against a common standard. Additionally, states are currently required to administer assessments and create accountability systems that celebrate districts and schools with strong performance and intervene in districts and schools where students are not learning and growing. Will weakening USED impact these mandates? 

2️⃣ What Happens with Funding and Block Grants? The federal government earmarks money to support students in schools where a large percentage of students are growing up in poverty (Title I) and for students with disabilities (IDEA). Will this EO lead to greater state discretion in how these funds are spent? 

3️⃣ What Happens with Research and Innovation? The Department asks states to submit data annually that help us understand student demographic trends, shifts in the educator workforce, and financial information across states and districts. Will this EO impact the data that is collected? 

The answers to these questions will shape the future of education for millions of students. 

The next few months will be critical in determining how this unfolds. We’ll be watching closely.