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The Education Department was created to ensure equal access. Who would do that in its absence?

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The Education Department was created to ensure equal access. Who would do that in its absence?
News

News

The Education Department was created to ensure equal access. Who would do that in its absence?

2025-03-21 07:04 Last Updated At:07:11

As the Trump administration moves to dismantle the Education Department, officials have suggested other agencies could take over its major responsibilities: civil rights enforcement to the Justice Department, perhaps; student loans to Treasury or Commerce; oversight of student disability rights to Health and Human Services.

Less clear is what could happen with a more lofty part of its mission — promoting equal access for students in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal.

Trump on Thursday signed an executive order calling for a plan to eliminate the department. In recent weeks, his administration already had been overhauling the department, cutting the workforce in half at an agency he has called wasteful and infiltrated by leftists.

Without the department, advocates worry the federal government would not look out in the same way for poor students, those still learning English, disabled students and racial and ethnic minorities.

“Gutting the agency that is charged to ensure equal access to education for every child is only going to create an underclass of students,” said Weadé James, senior director of K-12 education policy for the Center for American Progress, a think tank that advocates for racial equity policies and increased investment in public schools.

The equity goal of the Education Department, which was created by Congress in 1979, emerged partly from the anti-poverty and civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The act creating the department described its mission, in part, as: “To strengthen the Federal commitment to ensuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual.”

If new Education Secretary Linda McMahon really does work herself “out of a job,” as Trump has said he wants, the government will lose a bully pulpit to draw attention to the nation’s challenges and evangelize solutions, said Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank that advocates for more rigorous academic standards and accountability for public schools.

But Petrilli doubts that significantly paring back the department — if not completely eliminating it — will be “noticeable in the real world.”

Test scores continue to show many school children are struggling academically. The latest national tests showed one-third of eighth grade students missing fundamental skills in reading, and a widening gap between the highest-performing and lower-performing students. That’s the justification McMahon and other Trump allies have used for dismantling the department and sending its funding directly to states to spend.

Far from perfect, the department has offered a valuable “north star” for schools, said Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president of EdTrust, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that advocates for educational equity. It is the role of the department to institute guardrails, investments and protections “that support equal outcomes for students,” he said.

Trump has said he wants to return all control of schools to states.

The biggest question for many is what happens to the billions of dollars sent to run public schools every year, such as Title I funding, which supports schools in communities with high concentrations of poverty.

Educating low-income children, students learning English and those with disabilities often costs more because it requires specialized teaching or smaller class sizes. Districts without a strong tax base to fund schools often struggle to meet these students’ needs, which Congress recognized by authorizing the money.

McMahon has said she wants to send the money directly to states, with fewer restrictions. Some have worried that without guardrails or federal oversight, states will use the money to advance their own priorities in ways that potentially entrench inequality.

If the funding is distributed to states as block grants, it’s potentially a “way to defund public education,” said Del Pilar. Block grants allow politicians to “direct funds as they see fit, and that could be away from schools,” he said.

Students in Mississippi, South Dakota, Arkansas, Montana and Alaska could be affected the most if rules or oversight changes for how states spend this money. During the 2021-2022 school year, these states relied on federal aid for at least 20% of school funding, according to government data.

The agency traditionally has worked on behalf of disadvantaged students through its Office for Civil Rights, with an emphasis defending the rights of students with disabilities and students facing harassment tied to their skin color. Under the Trump administration, the agency has prioritized allegations of antisemitism.

While some advocates worry about the pivot in priorities, some attorneys say they had given up on recommending parents pursue complaints with the Office for Civil Rights, which they perceived as understaffed and too slow to provide relief.

Well before Trump was sworn in for a second term, the system moved slowly, but it has now gotten even worse, said A. Kelly Neal, a special education attorney in Macon, Georgia.

“Usually they were a little bit more responsive,” Neal said. “It may not have been the response you wanted. But at least they tried to pretend they were doing something.”

She said she would have no problem if the Department of Justice took on enforcement of these cases.

As part of a crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the Trump administration last month ended the contract for the Equity Assistance Center-South, a technical assistance program for Southern school districts still operating under federal desegregation orders. Last week, the Southern Education Foundation appealed the decision to cancel its contract to run the center.

The attempt to close these such centers abdicates the government’s responsibility to “help school districts address educational inequities and provide greater education opportunities for our students,” said Raymond Pierce, Southern Education Foundation’s president and chief executive officer.

Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Alejandra Rodriguez, 9, of Key Largo, Fla., watches as college students protest in support of the Department of Education, Thursday, March 20, 2025, outside the department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Alejandra Rodriguez, 9, of Key Largo, Fla., watches as college students protest in support of the Department of Education, Thursday, March 20, 2025, outside the department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon listens as President Donald Trump speaks at an education event and executive order signing in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon listens as President Donald Trump speaks at an education event and executive order signing in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

President Donald Trump, left, holds up a signed executive order as young people hold up copies of the executive order they signed at an education event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

President Donald Trump, left, holds up a signed executive order as young people hold up copies of the executive order they signed at an education event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Dozens of people gather in downtown Niles, Mich., Thursday, March 20, 2025, to protest recent government cuts in the Department of Education. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)

Dozens of people gather in downtown Niles, Mich., Thursday, March 20, 2025, to protest recent government cuts in the Department of Education. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Facing a double-digit deficit early in the second half did not shake the confidence level of a South Dakota State women’s basketball team that starts all juniors and seniors.

Using a more aggressive mindset after halftime, the 10th-seeded Jackrabbits won their NCAA tournament opener for the fifth time in program history with a 74-68 win over No. 7 seed Oklahoma State.

Madison Mathiowetz scored all 17 of her points in the second half while Brooklyn Meyer finished with 19 points as the Jackrabbits advance to play second-seeded UConn on Monday in the second round.

“The chance to play again is great,” South Dakota State women’s basketball coach Aaron Johnston said. We are looking forward to it. It is going to be a good challenge against Connecticut but I am happy that our team can come together and celebrate something that we worked really hard for.”

South Dakota State was limited to 24 points as the Jackrabbits had 11 first-half turnovers. The Jackrabbits had just five turnovers and shot 56% from the field in the second half.

“I feel like we just had to dig in on defense and keep rebounding,” Meyer said. “On offense, I feel like we had to move a little better without the ball and just play better together. Once it got a little smoother, I think that’s when things started to work for us.”

Stailee Heard led five Oklahoma State starters scoring in double figures with 20 points. Anna Gret Asi finished with 16 points including two late 3-pointers to keep the Cowgirls within range.

South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits have now made it out of the first round five times with the last before this year coming in 2023. The team has only made it out of the second round once and that came in 2019.

Oklahoma State: The Cowgirls fall to 12-18 in the NCAA Tournament. They reached the Sweet 16 in 1991, 2008 and 2014. Oklahoma State has lost its tourney opener in each of the last two seasons with the last NCAA Tournament win coming in 2021 against Wake Forest.

Mathiowetz had a driving layup just before the third-quarter buzzer went off to break a 50-50 tie. She opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with another basket before back-to-back hoops by Paige Meyer pushed San Diego State’s lead to eight. Oklahoma State pulled within three points on a Micah Gray 3-pointer but could get no closer.

“We love Jackrabbit Nation,” senior guard Paige Meyer. “We still have a lot of fans who came out to support us. They mean a lot to us. Over the years of playing here, we have always had support from our fans. We appreciate it and aren’t really surprised when we see the ones who follow us.”

South Dakota State faces No. 2 seed UConn and will look to pull off a monumental upset. The Huskies routed Arkansas State 103-34 in the opener.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

South Dakota State guard Paige Meyer, left, keeps the ball from Oklahoma State guard Anna Gret Asi, right, during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

South Dakota State guard Paige Meyer, left, keeps the ball from Oklahoma State guard Anna Gret Asi, right, during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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