It Was Never About the States
- Ian Akers
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Closing the Department of Education won’t empower states—it will weaken them.
The Trump Administration has made no secret of its goal to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and “return [education] to the States.” On March 20, 2025, President Trump took a dramatic step toward this aim by issuing Executive Order (EO) 14242, titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.”
In this EO, President Trump directed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities…”
Just days before the EO, ED initiated a Reduction in Force (RIF) on March 11, 2025, slashing nearly half its workforce—from 4,133 to 2,183 employees. Secretary McMahon described the cuts as a “significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.”
The Trump Administration’s narrative frames ED as a power-hungry bureaucracy that has usurped state authority over education. This is a myth, driven by widespread misunderstanding of ED’s actual role.
The ED is not involved in setting curricula, managing schools, or the setting of educational standards like Common Core. Instead, ED plays an essential role in administering grant funding to K-12 schools, providing Federal Student Aid, conducting educational research, enforcing civil rights laws, making rules, and issuing technical assistance and guidance to the states.
Many of these initiatives, particularly the research and guidance portions, are little known to the public. Through the many departments under the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) umbrella, ED engages in a wide variety of activities that support effective teaching and learning.
For example, through the National Center for Education Statistics, ED administers the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” It also manages the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System which tracks higher education data on enrollment, graduation rates, costs, and outcomes.
IES also offers competitive grants for scientific study of education programs and best practices through the National Center for Education Research and the National Center for Special Education Research. These centers also evaluate the efficacy of federal education initiatives like Title I funding. IES operates and disseminates this research through the What Works Clearinghouse, a platform that issues rigorous, evidence-based guides on what works in education.
Crucially, IES operates the Regional Education Lab (RELs) and Comprehensive Center (CCs) networks. These networks provide direct support, capacity building, research, and training to directly supporting state and local education agencies with their most pressing needs, and to great effect. For example, REL Southeast was instrumental in the so-called “Mississippi Miracle,” helping the state climb from 49th in fourth-grade reading in 2013 to 21st in 2022—a remarkable turnaround.
Programs like the REL network are vital to supporting the states in improving the quality of education, improving student outcomes, and evidence-based policy making. Cutting these programs does nothing to support or improve the American education system.
If the Trump Administration were truly interested in a high quality education system, it would not have directed Secretary McMahon to initiate the RIF, which NPR reported disproportionately affected staff working in education research offices, or issued EO 14242 to close the Department of Education.
Proponents of the ED’s RIF and the broader efficiency agenda of the Trump Administration have applauded the wide ranging cuts to the federal government, arguing they are cutting administrative bloat. But these cuts are decreasing accountability and efficiency rather than increasing it. Gutting ED in the name of “returning education to the states” is not only disingenuous—it actively harms students, teachers, and parents alike. ED’s closure would dismantle critical research, guidance, and support systems that states rely on, leaving them under-resourced and ill-equipped to serve their students.
There is some reason for hope. As has been noted by multiple media outlets, President Trump cannot unilaterally close ED without an act of Congress. Per the Department of Education Organization Act, there are a litany of programs and offices that are enshrined in statute, meaning that they cannot be closed short of being repealed by Congress. This safeguard offers a crucial opportunity: policymakers, educators, and advocates still have the power to push back and preserve the ED’s vital work. Protecting evidence-based education policy and federal oversight is not only possible—it is essential for the future of the American education system and student success.