Education Under Siege: 11 National Organizations Warn of Dangers from Dismantling the Department of Education

Strategic Insights -

11 national organizations have warned of the dangers of dismantling the Department of Education, highlighting the devastating impact on students, teachers, and families. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) has released a 23-page report, "Education At Risk: Frontline Impacts of Trump's War on Students," detailing the warnings from these organizations. The report emphasizes that since the Trump administration took office, hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for ED programs have been eliminated, nearly half of the department's employees have been fired, and efforts to further dismantle ED have been attempted.

Key Takeaways:

  • Eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for ED programs will serve millions of American students, families, and educators, exacerbating existing disparities in education.
  • Dismantling the Office of Civil Rights will impede ED's ability to ensure that students receive an education free from discrimination, leaving 46.413 million students in 27 states and territories without dedicated civil rights investigators.
  • Cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences threaten the collection and dissemination of critical federal data, making it difficult for families to make informed choices about colleges and secondary schools.
  • Plans to transfer responsibilities to other agencies are wasteful and will increase the cost and complexity of performing essential department functions that America's students and families rely on.
  • The damage from dismantling the Department of Education will continue to worsen, harming over 62 million students across the country.

Statistics:

  • The Trump administration has eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for ED programs serving millions of American students, families, and educators.
  • Nearly half of the Department of Education's employees have been fired, severely limiting its ability to support public education around the country.
  • Over 62 million students across the country would be harmed by the ongoing dismantling of the Department of Education.

Sources:

  • Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts)
  • American Council on Education (ACE)
  • National Parents Union (NPU)
  • National Education Association (NEA)
  • American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
  • Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC)
  • Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
  • National Center for Youth Law (NCYL)
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  • National Women's Law Center (NWLC)
  • Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
  • Association for Institutional Research (AIR)