Preserving What Matters: Focus on Federal Educational Functions, Not Institutions
The debate about "should they or shouldn't they" close the US Department of Education is the wrong conversation.
In recent weeks, there’s been renewed and intense debate about the future of the U.S. Department of Education. Some voices are calling for its dismantling, while others are defending its continued existence. But lost in all this rhetoric is a far more important question:
What functions do we actually need to protect to ensure every student in America receives a high-quality education?
This is the conversation we should be having. Because the truth is, public education in America has never been “federal” in the way many people assume. As former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley aptly put it:
“Public education is a national concern, a state responsibility, and a local function.”
And he was right.
States and local school districts are—and always have been—at the helm. They set standards, approve curricula, and make the vast majority of funding decisions. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Education Statistics, the federal government contributes less than 10% of total funding for public K-12 education. The remaining 90% comes from state and local sources. Contrary to the rhetoric of “returning education to the states,” it’s already there—and has been.
Yet that 10% of federal funding plays an outsized role in driving equitable opportunities for students. Title I provides crucial resources to schools serving low-income students. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education. These two programs alone account for the vast majority of the U.S. Department of Education’s budget—and they do a lot of good.
As someone who has worked in education policy and advocacy for five decades and currently serving on a regional board of education, I’ve come to believe that we shouldn’t waste time defending or dismantling bureaucracies. Instead, we should focus our attention where it matters most: on preserving and strengthening the critical educational functions that serve students, families, and educators in every state.
The U.S. Department of Education was established in 1979 with four key responsibilities: coordinating federal education assistance, collecting and analyzing national education data, enforcing federal education laws, and promoting equity and access. While its role has evolved—and, at times, expanded in ways that sparked legitimate concerns—the core functions it performs remain essential.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of those.
First, protecting civil rights. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights plays a vital role in ensuring equal access to education for all students. Whether through enforcement of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools, or IDEA, which guarantees rights and services to students with disabilities, these protections have dramatically transformed American education. And they must endure—regardless of which agency houses them.
Second, providing reliable education data. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), created in 1867—more than a century before the Department of Education itself—was initially an independent agency dedicated to tracking the condition of American education. Today, as part of the Department, it provides critical data that informs decisions at every level of the system. Without it, policymakers would be flying blind. Transparency and accountability would suffer. NCES helps us understand how students are performing, where achievement gaps exist, and how best to allocate resources.
Third, administering federal financial aid. Pell Grants and federal student loans help millions of Americans access higher education. These programs are essential tools of opportunity and social mobility. While reforms may be needed—such as simplifying access and improving oversight—the existence of these programs has helped generations of students pursue college degrees who otherwise could not afford them.
Here’s the point: these responsibilities do not need to exist under one roof to be effective. In fact, there’s a strong case to be made for decentralizing them. Civil rights enforcement could be handled by the Department of Justice. NCES could return to independent status to ensure its work is shielded from political interference. And federal financial aid could be administered through a dedicated agency or the Department of the Treasury.
Would this restructuring solve all our problems? No. But it might bring us closer to a system that is more efficient, less politicized, and more responsive to the needs of students and educators.
And that brings me to something else we rarely talk about: the opportunity for bipartisan agreement. Most Americans—regardless of political affiliation—want to protect students from discrimination, want good data to inform decisions, and want every qualified student to have access to higher education. By shifting the conversation away from the preservation of a department and toward the preservation of these core functions, we create space for meaningful, cross-partisan solutions.
Let’s also be honest: The U.S. Department of Education has been a lightning rod in political debates for decades. It’s been called bloated, inefficient, and too far removed from the realities of classrooms. And while some of that criticism may be warranted, throwing out essential functions with the agency would be both reckless and short-sighted.
So rather than wasting time on whether the department should survive, let’s ask a better question: What are the things that matter most to students, families, and educators—and how do we ensure they are preserved, protected, and improved?
We need civil rights protections.
We need reliable education data.
We need a system of financial aid that helps level the playing field.
We need continued support for Title I and IDEA.
These are the pillars worth defending. Not the building. Not the bureaucracy. The functions.
So what can YOU do? Here are some ideas for each the points from above:
Civil Rights Protections (Title IX, IDEA, OCR). Policymakers should guarantee that civil rights enforcement in education remains robust and independent—regardless of whether it remains within the U.S. Department of Education or is transferred elsewhere. Educators, advocates, and parents must continue to monitor and report violations and support legislation that strengthens equity protections, particularly for students with disabilities and marginalized groups.
National Education Data (NCES). Congress should reaffirm NCES’s independence and insulate it from political pressure by exploring the re-establishment of its independent status. Education professionals and state leaders must advocate for ongoing federal investment in longitudinal data systems and ensure open access to accurate, nonpartisan information to drive local decision-making.
Federal Student Aid (Pell Grants, Student Loans). Lawmakers must preserve and strengthen Pell Grants and ensure transparency and accountability in student loan administration. There should be a national push for streamlining access to aid—especially for first-generation and low-income students—through simplified FAFSA processes and better borrower support. Advocates should defend these programs from cuts and inefficiencies.
Equity Funding (Title I and IDEA). Advocates must push for full funding of IDEA (which Congress has historically underfunded) and defend Title I as a critical tool for leveling the playing field for low-income students. States and districts should use these federal dollars strategically to close opportunity gaps—and stakeholders must hold them accountable to do so.
Non-Partisan Reform. Stakeholders across the political spectrum should shift the debate away from institutional loyalty and toward functional integrity. Rather than arguing over whether to save or eliminate the Department of Education, elected officials should convene bipartisan commissions to evaluate how best to preserve and modernize these vital functions.
At a time when education is too often used as a political pawn, we must focus our energy and advocacy on what actually moves the needle for kids. Let’s move past the binary debate of “keep it or kill it” and start working together to protect what matters most.
Because in the end, it’s not about saving the Department of Education. It’s about saving the functions that help save students.