--- title: The Real Impact of Eliminating the Department of Education description: Eliminating the Department of Education could worsen racial inequities by cutting federal funding to the schools that need it most. canonical: https://time.com/7261667/eliminating-department-of-education-resegregate-schools/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-02-27T15:50:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-10T23:50:26.951Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Real Impact of Eliminating the Department of Education og:description: Eliminating the Department of Education could worsen racial inequities by cutting federal funding to poor schools. og:url: https://time.com/7261667/eliminating-department-of-education-resegregate-schools/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff17fd17cff177b1/6998c47466d4e373d1cbc3de/Department-of-Education-Flag.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Flags for the U.S. and the U.S. Department of Education og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Real Impact of Eliminating the Department of Education twitter:description: Eliminating the Department of Education could worsen racial inequities by cutting federal funding to poor schools. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff17fd17cff177b1/6998c47466d4e373d1cbc3de/Department-of-Education-Flag.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Eliminating the Department of Education Would Hurt Black Students by [Judith Browne Dianis](https://time.com/author/judith-browne-dianis/) ## Judith Browne Dianis Feb 27, 2025 3:50 PM UTC  Flags for the U.S. and the U.S. Department of Education fly outside the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C. Flags for the U.S. and the U.S. Department of Education fly outside the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C.Erin Scott—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Judith Browne Dianis](https://time.com/author/judith-browne-dianis/) ## Judith Browne Dianis Feb 27, 2025 3:50 PM UTC After the 1954 [_Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka_](https://time.com/5277732/brown-board-education-prince-edward-county/) ruling, which decided that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, white supremacists bombed and burned Black schools rather than integrate. Now, President Donald Trump plans to [eliminate](https://time.com/7213488/trump-dismantle-department-of-education/) the entire [Department of Education](https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/what-happens-if-the-education-department-is-dissolved) which, among other things, provides funding for [under-resourced](https://edtrust.org/press-room/school-districts-that-serve-students-of-color-receive-significantly-less-funding/) school districts disproportionately attended by Black children. [On the campaign trail](https://time.com/7001264/project-2025-public-school-closure/), President Donald Trump vowed to dismantle the Department of Education and he is now reportedly [finalizing an executive order](https://time.com/7213488/trump-dismantle-department-of-education/) to [fulfill this promise](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/states-brace-trump-plan-dismantle-education-department-rcna192953). Plus, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Education, Linda McMahon, said she “[wholeheartedly](https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5162816-mcmahon-abolish-education-department-trump/)” agrees with Trump’s plan to abolish the federal agency. We are witnessing an ideological battle between those who would build an America which nurtures and protects all children and those who want to [erase](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/18/trump-administration-schools-dei-programs-deadline) the contributions of some Americans, ban [addressing](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-sign-orders-school-choice-antisemitism-white-house-says-2025-01-29/) our sordid history of white supremacy, and [revert](https://time.com/7225339/history-efforts-end-department-of-education/) to policies that previously resulted in racially segregated schools. Today, [Black students](https://time.com/5673555/busing-school-segregation/) disproportionately attend segregated and under-resourced classrooms. Eliminating the Department of Education would worsen this trend by cutting federal funding to the schools that need it most. In lieu of a federal Department of Education, the Trump Administration is pushing a school voucher program agenda that prioritizes putting money in the pockets of families who already have plenty so that they can send their kids to private school and further erode the idea of school as a public good. What’s more, eliminating the Department of Education would mean schools would not need to provide children with [disabilities](https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/what-the-assault-on-public-education-means-for-kids-with-disabilities) the resources they need and are guaranteed under federal law. Trump’s second presidency has already negatively impacted other groups of students as well. For instance, many [immigrant families](https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/01/24/trump-immigration-policy-and-deportation-fears-affect-attendance-for-immigrant-families/) are keeping their children at home from school out of fear they will risk deportation. The Trump Administration has also put LGBTQ students in danger by forbidding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Public schools play a critical role in developing good citizens. If fully resourced and inclusive in design, public education can be a great equalizer and a tool for ushering in a true multiracial democracy. As Horace Mann, one of the architects of public education in the U.S. asserted, “public education is the cornerstone of our community and our democracy.” The public nature of public education helps ensure access and accountability to the public. And yet, with the promise of an executive order that calls for dismantling, or at the very least dramatically whittling down the work of the Department of Education, President Trump and other conservative politicians threaten to make it more difficult for public schools to survive and build a path towards education equity. Attacking the Department of Education hurts millions of young people and their families. It will have harmful, severe, and lasting effects on the quality of education received by children across the country that will be felt for generations. Gutting this department threatens to roll us back towards the worst days of school segregation. I believe this because, as historians will tell you, the Department of Education was created to [address racial inequity](https://time.com/7225733/department-of-educations-history-is-essential/). The [Department of Education](https://time.com/7225339/history-efforts-end-department-of-education/) enforces [Title VI](https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/race-color-and-national-origin-discrimination/education-and-title-vi), a civil rights law that prohibits race discrimination in the use of federal funds and [Title IX](https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/sex-discrimination/Title-IX-and-Sex-Discrimination) which prohibits gender discrimination. The federal government has had a long history of protecting civil rights of students. Without the Department of Education, school districts may be emboldened to restrict access to quality education and ignore complaints of discrimination or hate against students based on race, gender identity, disability status, religion, and immigration status. Losing this oversight and protection could lead to a strengthening of the [school-to-prison pipeline](https://time.com/4226205/clinton-school-to-prison-pipeline/) in which schools discipline Black students disproportionately and more harshly. It will likely create inequities in language access, no longer ensuring that English learners and their families have access to academic content or translation services. It could result in further tipping of the scales of the distribution of resources, where schools that primarily serve students of color have fewer advanced courses, experienced teachers, or extracurricular activities. Additionally, it could end investigations into school boundary changes that intentionally segregate students. On top of that, Project 2025 suggested that the President should phase out the [Title I](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025s-elimination-of-title-i-funding-would-hurt-students-and-decimate-teaching-positions-in-local-schools/) program, which provides funding to states and school districts for students living in poverty. This loss of almost $18 billion in federal funding would be devastating. Eliminating Title I would harm nearly three million children throughout the U.S. by exacerbating the gap between the haves and have-nots causing further loss of resources and support. It could result in the loss of 180,000 jobs for educators, resulting in an adverse economic impact on teachers and their families while also making classrooms more crowded. These layoffs would include reading specialists, teaching assistants, and support staff who play an important role in guaranteeing that children have the tools to learn at an appropriate pace. Title I also provides federal funding for high-poverty schools. These funds have been incredibly important to supplementing state and local funding across the country whether in white schools in Appalachia, rural districts in the South, or in multiracial schools in urban areas. For Black children in particular, losing Title I would have devastating long-term consequences. We know that program cuts and resource disparities lead to achievement gaps, increased dropout rates, lower college attendance rates, and eventually decreased economic mobility and higher rates of generational poverty. The promise of _Brown_ is not yet realized. We have made tremendous strides towards opening up education opportunities and more must be done. However, we need fully funded schools that provide safe and supportive learning environments where all students can thrive. We need to fight for our children. To resist these attacks, communities, school districts and state-level actors must work together to enact local policies that protect students from discrimination and fill in the funding gaps left by the Department of Education. Education is a tool for progress and each new generation deserves a shot at moving us forward. This is why bad actors have historically wanted to limit its possibilities and who has access. We must protect it at all costs by building nurturing environments that help them grow up in safety. 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