RESTORING EDUCATION TO PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES: Today, President Donald J. Trump enacted an Executive Order aimed at transferring educational authority from bureaucratic institutions back to families.
- The Executive Order mandates the Secretary of Education to take all necessary actions to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education, thereby returning educational governance to the States while ensuring the continued delivery of essential services, programs, and benefits that Americans depend on.
- This Order further stipulates that any remaining programs or activities funded by the Department of Education will not promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or gender ideology.
BREAKING DOWN BUREAUCRACY AND EMPOWERING FAMILIES: The federal oversight of education has proven ineffective for students, parents, and teachers alike.
- Since its establishment in 1979, the Department of Education—an entity that does not directly educate anyone—has squandered over $3 trillion without any significant improvement in student performance as indicated by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal taxpayers contributed approximately $200 billion in additional education funding, yet the resulting substantial learning losses highlight the inefficacy of the federally driven educational model.
- Despite a staggering increase of over 245% in per-pupil spending since the 1970s, math and reading scores have declined in public schools, suggesting that increased spending does not equate to improved educational outcomes.
- Notably, 13-year-olds’ math scores have hit their lowest point in decades.
- Reading scores for 13-year-olds are the lowest recorded since the inception of testing over 30 years ago.
- Students who are already struggling are falling further behind.
- In 2023, an alarming statistic emerged: 13 high schools in Baltimore, Maryland, reported that not a single student tested proficient in mathematics.
- The Department of Education has overloaded schools with regulations and red tape.
- Its “Dear Colleague” letters have compelled schools to allocate resources towards compliance with ideological initiatives, which distracts from their core mission of education.
- The Biden Administration’s Department of Education imposed new rules that incurred nearly $3.9 billion in costs and consumed over 4.2 million hours in paperwork.
- Taxpayer dollars will no longer be funneled into progressive social experiments and outdated programs.
- Under the Biden Administration, more than $1 billion was wasted on grants promoting radical ideologies in education.
- Additionally, the rewriting of Title IX rules expanded the definition of “sex” discrimination to include “gender identity.”
- Recently, the Trump Administration canceled $226 million in grants linked to the Comprehensive Centers Program that enforced radical agendas on states and educational systems, including race-based discrimination and gender identity ideologies.
FULFILLING PROMISES TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS: President Trump has laid out a bold vision for America’s educational landscape, advocating for a return of authority to the states.
- During his campaign, President Trump pledged, “I will close the Department of Education and move education back to the states where it belongs.”
- In discussions about parental rights in education, he emphasized a transformative approach to schooling: “I want every parent in America to have the power to choose whether their child attends a public, private, charter, or faith-based school. The time for universal school choice has arrived. As we hand education back to the states, I will leverage every power at my disposal to grant parents this right.”
- Since returning to office, President Trump has already enacted an Executive Order aimed at expanding educational freedom and opportunities for families, acknowledging that the government-mandated education system has failed millions of parents, students, and educators.
