The Department of Education is meant to ‘advise and assist’ US schools

The Week US

Joel Mathis

November 28, 2024

Donald Trump comes into office having pledged the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. His administration will send “all education and education work and needs back to the states,” he said in 2023. What does the Department of Education specifically do?

The Education Department was created by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 with a mission to “advise and assist” the nation’s schools, said CBS News. The department has a budget of around $228 billion, but it’s not the primary funder of your neighborhood schools: Only about 8% of local school budgets come from federal dollars, with the rest coming from state and local taxes. The department also undergirds federal student aid programs for colleges and universities. That money gives the feds leverage over education policy across the country. “It may have influence,” said Nicola Alexander, an associate dean at the University of Minnesota. “I wouldn’t say it has control.”

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