The Daily Trump Takes Aim at the Department of Education
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Mar 10, 2025 Dana Goldstein, a New York Times reporter specializing in education, discusses President Trump's impending executive order to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. She highlights the contradictory strategy of dismantling while simultaneously utilizing the department to enforce his education agenda. Goldstein explains the department's vital role in equitable education and civil rights, alongside the evolving political landscape impacting educational policy. The conversation also touches on the cultural clashes in education during the COVID pandemic and the implications for vulnerable student populations.
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Department of Education's Role
- The Department of Education doesn't control curriculum, teacher pay, or school discipline.
- These are controlled at the state and local levels, with 90% of school funding coming from those sources.
Abolishing the Department
- Abolishing the Department of Education requires a Congressional vote, not just a presidential order.
- Even if abolished, its functions, like student aid and research, would likely be reassigned elsewhere.
Symbolic Order
- Trump's executive order to abolish the Department of Education is largely symbolic.
- It signals his administration's priorities for overhauling education and reducing the federal role.