Trump said to dismantle the United States Department of Education

President-elect Donald Trump, once sworn into office in January of next year, has said he plans to dismantle the federally operated United States Department of Education (USDE) and will instead allow each state to create their own academic policies.

USDE, according to aaec.ed.gov, is responsible for establishing policies on federal financial aid for education, and distributing as well as monitoring those funds; collecting data on America’s schools and disseminating research; focusing national attention on key educational issues and prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.

The department works across all levels of education to uphold certain academic and civil standards through various policies, as well as administering and managing financial support to students through grants and programs such as the Federal Pell Grants, work-study programs, aid from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), grants for students with disabilities, grants for students that are economically disadvantaged, teacher preparation programs, Title I funding for schools with low-income families, etc.

The Department of Education spends billions of dollars each year in order for these programs and grants to be enacted, with UCO alone receiving a collective total of $7,760,593 distributed among 20 grant awards to students in the 2024 fiscal year, as well as another $1,059,107 granted for one award for the 2025 fiscal year, so far.

Donald Trump cites this as being one reason to get rid of the department, looking to shift those responsibilities to the states.

“We want to move the Department of Education. We’re ranked at the bottom of the list; the worst. We spend more money per pupil than any other country, by far. And yet, we’re at the bottom of the list. Out of 40, we’re ranked about number 40,” said Trump in a campaign event in Indiana, Pennsylvania on Sep. 23, 2024.

“The number one rated country is Norway; the number two is, like, Denmark and, you know, on and on it goes. They spend much less money than we do and they have the finest education … we’ll have education that can compete with Norway and Denmark,” he continued.

Another reason as to why Trump plans on dismantling The Department of Education is their enforcement of certain policies made under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 which states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, under Title IX, actively encourages the protection of LGBTQ+ and transgender students’ freedoms, and allows for topics about LGBTQ+ and transgender issues be taught in schools, a sentiment that Donald Trump disagrees with.A Nov. 19  article by the Associated Press said, “Trump also has pledged to exclude transgender students from Title IX protections, which affect school policies on students’ use of pronouns, bathrooms and locker rooms. Originally passed in 1972, Title IX was first used as a women’s rights law. This year, Biden’s administration said the law forbids discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, but Trump can undo that.”