Is the US Department of Education worth keeping?

President Trump recently signed an executive order that directed that the US Department of Education be dismantled. There was celebration on one side and great concern from the other. Just recently, some groups including teacher’s unions and the National Education Association has sued to stop the process.

When I was asked my opinion at a recent function, I first had to research what the US Department of Education did. The four most common answers I found:

1. Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education and distributing and monitoring those funds.
2. Collecting data on America’s schools and disseminating research.
3. Focusing national attention on key educational issues.
4. Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.
   The department assists the president in executing education policies and implementing laws enacted by Congress. Its mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness.

When I considered the mission, the below picture came to my mind.

Then the question became: How many non-classroom administrators do we really need to educate America’s children?

Some have proposed that the Small Business Administration could administer the educational grants and loans currently supported by the Department of Education which is 71% of their $200 Billion budget. Given that the Small Business Administration works with banks to provide loans and manages grants, why would we want a second department doing the same thing? It would seem that one less departmental duplication would benefit taxpayers without any less service.

Some have expressed concern that school nutrition or funding for school lunches might be impacted. However, funding for school lunches is provided by the US Department of Agriculture, not the department of education.

Others have expressed concern that special education and other services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children, supports early intervention services for infants and toddlers and their families, and awards competitive discretionary grants.  Again, isn’t this duplicative of services provided under the Health and Human Services (HHS)?

But the big question remains. If the US Department of Education went away, what would that mean for education? If you accept the premise that other agencies can give and service loans and fund programs directly to the states, my conclusion is not much.

Eliminating the US Department of Education, we make each state a laboratory for innovation that is accountable to the voters of that state. Now states can innovate and copy ideas that have been proven elsewhere. Gone would be the days of shifting blame between Federal, State and Local authorities.

More importantly the state system can reflect the values of the people of that state without pressure to adopt values that may differ. Again, the results of different approaches may encourage adoption by others or serve as a warning. End of the day, what we have been doing has not been working as US schools have fallen in competition across the globe.  At one point, a reasonable person should wonder if continuing down the path of further decay is a good idea.

Now some will argue that schools will “lose money” if this department goes away. Approximately 25% ($50 Billion) to the K-12 classroom. If the K-12 money is block granted to the states, there is actually more money as the cost of USDOE labor is cut.

End of the day, what we are doing isn’t working. Public education, especially in our major cities is failing. Looking back to days before the US Department of Education, this was not always the case. We need change and innovation. Many say we need to eliminate layers of administration to unleash our teachers and students. Eliminating one of the blue boxes in our picture above seems like a good start.