It was proposed to close the Department of Education in Project 2025the right-wing policy initiative created by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. In Agenda47list of proposals put forward by President-elect Donald Trump, he also promised to close the Department of Education. Trump and his allies aren’t the only ones who want to shut down the agency — many Republicans favor closing the Department of Education, inclusive Republican Senators-elect Bernie Moreno and Tim Sheehy. The Department of Education was created in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter and PROVIDED funding for low-income K-12 schools and students with disabilities, among many other important functions. Eradication of agency, that is far fetched, but not impossiblewould have harmful effects on different communities—this article explores some of the wider implications in more detail.

There remains a fundamental lack of understanding about what the Department for Education actually does. Libby Stanford recently explained Education Week article that the Department of Education has various offices that preside over different programs. Some of these include Bureau of Primary and Secondary Educationwhich focuses on policies that support student achievement in K-12 schools, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Serviceswhich supports students with disabilities, and Office for Civil Rightswhich ensures that there is protection against discrimination based on sex, race, religion and disability status. Dismantling the Department of Education could effectively dissolve Title I — the $18.4 billion education grant program that supports funding for schools with low-income students. Getting rid of the agency could also have an impact IDEAthe $14.2 billion education grant program that funds special education services for students with disabilities, as well as a smaller grant from the agency, Title III of the Primary and Secondary Education Lawwhich provides funding for the education of multilingual students.

The Department of Education also oversees student loans. In the United States, student loan debt now exceeds $1.7 trillion, according to July 2024 student loan debt statistics from Education Data Initiative. Despite the fact that in 2020, the Trump Administration issued pandemic aid in the form of a student loan interest breakTrump has hit repeatedly the Biden Administration’s efforts to reduce student loan debt. It is likely that the student loan debt relief programs that were implemented under the Biden administration REMOVED under the new administration. 2022 DATA from LendingTree indicates that families of color carry the highest amount of student loan debt compared to other groups—when examining strategies to address this debilitating debt that contributes to economic inequality, efforts to reduce student loan debt they can be a powerful tool to address the problem and help close the racial wealth gap.

As I mentioned, another role of the Department of Education is to “identify, investigate, and resolve school violations of civil rights laws through its office of civil rights.” Through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), students, school staff, and parents can file a complaint if a school has engaged in discrimination based on sex, race, religion, or disability status. During the campaign process, Trump engaged travel protections for transgender students, which were under the Biden administration protected under Title IX (though blocked by courts in 26 states). Additionally, eliminating the Department of Education would have harmful effects on one of the country’s most vulnerable populations — low-income students whose K-12 school funding would be at risk. OCR also plays a vital role in investigating claims antisemitism, anti-Arab discrimination and other forms of discrimination on college campuses. Addressing allegations of discrimination can help colleges and universities foster a culture of belonging and inclusion—getting rid of the Department of Education would have a negative impact on campus culture.

During Trump’s first term, he tried and failed Get rid of Department of Education. Eliminating the agency would have a negative impact on various communities, many of which are already marginalized. There would also be a decrease in teaching staff if the agency were to be abolished, eliminating Title I funding that is used to supporting teacher recruitment and retentionwhich would further exacerbate a growing rapidly shortage of teachers. The Department of Education plays a vital role in funding programs that support students, especially those from the most vulnerable populations. Getting rid of the agency would undoubtedly have a negative impact on our education system now and for generations to come.