{"id":202318,"date":"2025-03-18T15:53:53","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T19:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=202318"},"modified":"2025-03-18T17:06:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T21:06:06","slug":"what-the-data-says-about-the-us-department-of-education","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/03\/18\/what-the-data-says-about-the-us-department-of-education\/","title":{"rendered":"What the data says about the U.S. Department of Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The U.S. Department of Education’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C. The department announced in mid-March that it will reduce its staff by nearly half. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Almost from the moment it was created in 1979, the U.S. Department of Education has faced calls for its elimination<\/a> from conservatives, who have argued that it gives the federal government too much sway over what should be a state and local matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Donald Trump has revived those efforts. A draft executive order<\/a> directs his newly confirmed education secretary, Linda McMahon, to prepare the department for closure, while acknowledging that actually dissolving it would require an act of Congress. (Asked directly if the United States needs her department, McMahon said, \u201cNo, we don\u2019t<\/a>.\u201d) The department already has shed around 2,000 staffers<\/a> \u2013 nearly half its workforce \u2013 through layoffs and buyouts, and canceled dozens of research contracts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the main conduit for federal aid to public K-12 schools and a major lender to college students, the Education Department\u2019s work directly or indirectly affects millions of American families. Here are answers to some common questions about the department:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n