Department of Education

Read more about the actions and functions of the U.S. Department of Education

Explainer

The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Education, Explained
There's a lot of talk—again—about eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. Here's what it does and how it works.
View Explainer
Collage of the Capitol building and McMahon.
Collage with Jason Andrew for Education Week + Canva
Federal Democrats Challenge Plan to Dismantle Office for English Learners
The Education Department notified Congress in February of its plans to dismantle OELA.
Ileana Najarro, May 13, 2026
•
6 min read
050626 funding cuts trump schools lieberman fs 2270953986
Getty
Education Funding Trump Holds Back $2 Billion for Education Grants. What Will Happen Next?
The White House is keeping congressionally approved money locked up through a little-known process.
Mark Lieberman, May 6, 2026
•
11 min read
Financial literacy and education concept. A woman looks up at a broken ladder to knowledge.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty
Federal Trump Admin. Doesn't Deem Education Degrees 'Professional' in Student Loan Rule
The regulation confirms new limits on graduate student borrowing under Trump's major policy bill.
Evie Blad, May 1, 2026
•
3 min read
LindaMcMahon03B
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon prepares to testify before a Senate appropriations subcommittee on the U.S. Department of Education's fiscal 2027 budget proposal in Washington on April 28, 2026.
Marvin Joseph for Education Week
Federal McMahon Still Wants to Relocate Special Ed.—And Other Budget Hearing Takeaways
The education secretary also told skeptical lawmakers that Ed. Dept. program transfers are working.
Mark Lieberman, April 28, 2026
•
6 min read
The likeness of George Washington is seen on a U.S. one dollar bill, March 13, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says it expects the federal government will be awash in debt over the next 30 years.
Newly published budget documents show the U.S. Department of Education, in the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, took roughly $1 billion Congress appropriated for specific education programs and spent it differently than how lawmakers intended—or didn't spend it all.
Matt Slocum/AP
Education Funding Trump Sidestepped Congress on More Than $1 Billion in Ed. Spending Last Year
Newly published documents show how the Ed. Dept. departed from Congress' plans.
Mark Lieberman, April 24, 2026
•
13 min read
Remaining letters on the Department of Education on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Washington.
Remaining letters on the U.S. Department of Education building in Washington on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Despite the agency's efforts to shift management of many of its programs to the U.S. Department of Labor, key K-12 funds will continue to flow through the Education Department's grants system this summer.
Allison Robbert/AP
Education Funding Federal Funds for Schools Will Still Flow Through Ed. Dept. System—For Now
The Trump administration has been touting its transfer of K-12 programs to the Labor Department.
Mark Lieberman, April 21, 2026
•
5 min read
A photograph of a letter from the United States Department of Education dated February 13, 2026 stating that "This letter officially provides such notice of her proposal, including rationale, to redelegate OELA's programs and duties to other offices, thereby dissolving the need for a standalone OELA."
Gina Tomko/Education Week via Canva
Federal Ed. Dept. Moves to Shutter Its Office for English Learners
Officials plan to move all federal English-learner programs and duties out of a standalone office.
Ileana Najarro, April 14, 2026
•
6 min read
Photo collaged image of the U.S. Department of Education shattering.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + AP + Getty
Federal Tracker See Which Ed. Dept. Programs Are Moving to New Agencies: A Tracker
K-12 and higher education programs are heading to new agencies as part of Trump administration downsizing.
Mark Lieberman, April 1, 2026
•
1 min read
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, on March 26, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, on March 26, 2026, in Washington. Six Cabinet members are now on track to have a hand in managing U.S. Department of Education programs.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Meet the Trump Cabinet Secretaries Taking Over Ed. Dept. Programs
The U.S. Department of Education is shifting more than 100 programs to other federal agencies.
Mark Lieberman, March 31, 2026
•
1 min read
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The agency said Thursday it will move to a different building starting this summer.
Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
Federal Trump Administration to Move Dept. of Ed. Out of Its Longtime Offices
The move follows a year of efforts to dismantle the federal agency.
Sean Cavanagh, March 26, 2026
•
2 min read
Image of an office chair moving over a map of Washington D.C.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Federal Where Are Ed. Dept. Programs Moving? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
More than 100 programs run by the U.S. Department of Education are shifting to other agencies.
Mark Lieberman, March 20, 2026
•
14 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Opinion The Trump Administration Has Mostly Dismantled the Ed. Dept. Should You Care?
Here’s how much the administration has really changed federal education policy.
Rick Hess, March 16, 2026
•
7 min read
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, center, arrives for a tree planting ceremony at the Department of Education to announce plans to create the Green Ribbon Schools competition which will "raise environmental literacy," inside and outside the classroom and reduce a school's environmental footprint, on April 26, 2011. A Texas oak tree was planted at the ceremony.
Then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, center, arrives for a tree-planting ceremony on April 26, 2011, at the U.S. Department of Education to announce plans to create the Green Ribbon Schools competition. The Trump administration ended the recognition—which honored schools for reducing their environmental impact and offering hands-on environmental education—last year.
Tom Williams/Roll Call via Getty Images
Federal Ed. Dept. Quietly Ends an Honor for Schools’ Environmental Work
Applicants found out when the online portal for award submissions never opened.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, March 13, 2026
•
5 min read
Job seekers listen for information on employment during a hiring fair at Fair Park in Dallas, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.
Job seekers during a hiring fair at Fair Park in Dallas, on Jan. 14, 2026. States must improve their academic standards and identify the skills students need to compete for evolving jobs, said a workforce commission assembled by the Bipartisan Policy Center. A new report from the commission includes recommendations for employers, government, and K-12 education.
LM Otero/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Bold Changes Needed to Prepare Students for AI-Fueled Disruption, Commission Says
A commission calls for a unified federal strategy to address rapidly changing workforce needs.
Evie Blad, March 12, 2026
•
6 min read