President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to begin eliminating the Department of Education.
"We're going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible. It's doing us no good," he said to a crowd gathered at the White House that included young children, administration officials and governors.
President Trump argues that the Department of Education has been costly while failing to improve student performance, pointing to declining test scores. He believes education decisions are better made at the local level.
"We're going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs ... it's a common sense thing to do, and it's going to work,” President Trump said.
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The president noted that the federal government would continue to maintain programs related to Pell Grants, Title I and resources for children with special needs.
The Department of Education was established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter in an effort to make education a national priority, but Republicans have long called for its reform or elimination.
President Trump campaigned on shuttering the department and earlier this month, his secretary of education, Linda McMahon, announced plans to reduce the department’s workforce by 50%. Approximately 2,000 employees have left or been terminated since January.
Opponents of the move note that much of the Department of Education’s work goes beyond the classroom.
“The Department of Education does not run local public schools,” Rachel Perera, a Brookings Institution fellow in the Brown Center on Education said. “It doesn't set curriculum. It has nothing to do with hiring."
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The department does, however, provide some funding for public schools and student financial aid, as well as help protect students’ civil rights.
Democratic leaders claim President Trump's decision will ultimately harm students.
"Class sizes will soar, educators will be fired, special education programs will be cut and college will get even more expensive, at a time when the cost of living is already too high," warned House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called President Trump's executive order one of the most "destructive and devastating steps" he has ever taken.
While President Trump may drastically change how the department is run, it cannot be formally closed without congressional approval.
