During Signing Ceremony, President Trump Assures Nation Core Functions Will Not Be Effected
Overview
Earlier this evening President Trump completed an event in the Gold Room of the White House announcing his signing of an Executive Order which calls for the abolition of the U.S, Department of Education. As noted in both a press release and the President’s remarks, the Administration believes that the Department, established under the Carter Administration in 1979, has failed to produce effective results in educating our nation’s students. As highlighted in both the press release and the speech…
Since 1979, the U.S. Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion with virtually nothing to show for it. Despite per-pupil spending having increased by more than 245% over that period, there has been virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement:
- Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds are at the lowest level in decades.
- Six-in-ten fourth graders and nearly three-quarters of eighth graders are not proficient in math.
- Seven-in-ten fourth and eighth graders are not proficient in reading, while 40% of fourth grade students don’t even meet basic reading levels.
- Standardized test scores have remained flat for decades.
- U.S. students rank 28 out of 37 OECD member countries in math.
Key Takeaway
Insisting that our nation “can, and must, be better,” he called upon Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to work quickly to return education to the States, while at the same time maintaining the core functions of the U.S. Department of Education to administer programs targeting at-risk students at both the elementary and secondary (Title I) and postsecondary level (Federal Pell Grants).
“Instead of maintaining the status quo that is failing American students, the Trump Administration’s bold plan will return education where it belongs — with individual states, which are best positioned to administer effective programs and services that benefit their own unique populations and needs.”
The Devil Is In the Details
As CSPEN and the nation await the official release of the EO, we will spend this evening reviewing the declaration to determine if it shares any more details on exactly how the Administration will attempt to achieve the stated goal. Many have reported that they believe that many functions, which are not “mission-critical” to the Department of Education can be shifted to other federal cabinet level agencies (e.g. Civil Rights to the Department of Justice, Federal Student Loans to potentially Treasury, Commerce, Small Business, and/or Veterans Affairs, and other student need programs to Health and Human Services).
CSPEN will share additional information tomorrow on both the EO AND also updates on the latest information on who and how to contact individuals within the Department of Education to address the outstanding institutional processing issues which have been in limbo with last week’s reduction in force.
