President Donald Trump‘s recent pledge to shut down the U.S. Department of Education has put Democrats on the defensive, as they attempt to argue why the agency should remain open. Democrats assert that closing the Education Department would harm students who rely on federal college loans.
“It won’t protect against discrimination, and if it’s closed, who will administer the federal funds?” said A. Scott Bolden on News Nation. Bolden added, “This will hurt some states.”
However, Democrats are struggling to make a compelling case for maintaining the current structure. A recent report titled “America’s Report Card” released data from the federal Education Department, indicating that U.S. students are struggling to maintain their reading and math skills. Alarmingly, these figures have not improved since the pre-pandemic averages recorded in 2019.
Since the onset of COVID-19, $190 billion has been allocated to support learning recovery following school closures, yet the report suggests that increased funding has not effectively addressed the issues. Math scores for eighth-grade students have seen little to no improvement while reading scores have dropped by two points at both the fourth and eighth-grade levels.
In January, the group Parents Defending Education (PDE) released poll results addressing key issues parents face in schools, including the role of the Education Department The poll found that 52% of parents support reducing the size and influence of the federal agency, while 77% favor allowing states more flexibility in how they manage their school districts.
Teachers’ union groups are actively countering these views, claiming to have their own polls that demonstrate voters opposed to shutting down the Education Department.
“There is no argument that parents are unhappy with today’s educational system,” remarked Talk Radio educational analyst Ed Moore. “That’s why there’s a backlog in charter school lotteries, with parents eager to enroll their children in local schools. Close the department and let parents make decisions at the local level, rather than relying on mandates from the federal government.”
