The Trump White House is in the process of drafting an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, according to sources. This move aligns with President Donald J. Trump’s longstanding promise to close the federal agency—though the measure may require Congressional approval.
In September 2023, Trump reiterated his intention to devolve education responsibilities to state governments. He expressed dissatisfaction with the nation’s standing in global education rankings despite significant financial investment, estimated at over $1 trillion yearly.
The initiative to abolish the Department of Education reflects a broader Republican strategy focused on shifting control of education to the state level and expanding school choice. Last week, Trump signed an order directing the department to assist states in using federal funds to enhance school choice programs. This policy is viewed favorably in many Republican-led states, where increased financial support for charter and private schools has been observed.
Trump aims to implement broader changes in the education sector. In a July 2024 campaign email, he outlined priorities such as withdrawing federal funding from institutions promoting Critical Race Theory (CRT), conducting civil rights investigations into schools for discrimination against Asian Americans, establishing a credentialing system favoring “patriotic values,” and identifying and removing ideological radicals from the federal department.
Perhaps most notably, in November 2023, President Trump pledged to create a free, online institution able to award degrees, dubbed the American Academy. He described it as an alternative to America’s increasingly woke private universities, funded through a tax on university endowments.
Trump’s best education policy, announced as part of ‘Agenda 47′ in November 2023, is the American Academy. This completely free, online institution, funded by taxes on woke universities’ endowments, will offer full degrees, and college credits to people with incomplete degrees: pic.twitter.com/0GWnJmloWK
— Jack Montgomery (@JackBMontgomery) November 12, 2024