Education experts praised President Donald Trump for sending education issues back to the states on Thursday with the signing of the much-anticipated executive order to dismantle the education sector.
“It's a past time for a radical rethinking of how education is managed in this country because it cannot continue to support the failure system,” Nicole Neely (PDE), president and founder of Advocacy Education for Parents (PDE), told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Trump signed the executive order on Thursday.
“Today, we were taking 45 years of historic action,” Trump said of decades of conservative push to break down the division that dates back to former President Ronald Reagan's president.
Trump still needs Congress' help on plans to abolish the education sector
“The numbers don't lie. The results have plummeted while spending per student has skyrocketed over the past 45 years,” Neely said. “The current situation has made American children so clearly fail, and more than they've lined up in the pockets of bureaucrats and activists.”
US President Donald Trump is holding an executive order after signing on March 20, 2025 in the Eastern Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (Mandel Ngan)
Education leaders say Trump is dismantling major government agencies “Saved Education”
“With this executive order, it's time for President Trump to continue to take steps to fulfill his campaign promises on education, and now it's time for Congress to send school choice laws to his desk so voters can meet other orders,” said Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation of Pediatrics.
Schultz told Fox News Digital when signing the order, Trump “defeated the failed bureaucratic machinery in DC, bringing school choices to all states.”
Moms for Liberty, a political advocacy group for parents, called the move an opportunity to “grab this moment to shape the future of learning”!
Morning Sun lights the front of the Department of Education building in a report that it will take steps to reimburse the Federal Education Division in Washington, USA on February 4, 2025. (Kevin Lamarck)
“This is an incredible opportunity to enable parents and communities to take charge of education rather than letting Washington officials make decisions!” the group wrote in X's post.
The White House pointed to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores prior to the signature ceremony, indicating a low average for students as an example of undergraduate not working effectively to improve education.
“The NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores reveal a national crisis. Our children are behind,” Harrison Fields, assistant press president of the White House principal, told Fox News. “For the past four years, Democrats have allowed millions of illegal minors to the country, strain school resources and distract from focus from American students.”
“Parents and students are deeply unhappy with the state of the education system,” Margaret Spains, president and CEO of the Center for Bipartisan Policy, said in a statement that “parents and students are deeply unhappy with the state of the education system,” and that “the president's use of the president underscores a recent trend that underlines the need for immediate action in mathematics and reading scores.”
US President Donald Trump will speak on Thursday, March 20, 2025 in the Eastern Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA while signing. (Kent Nishimura)
“The executive order is primarily anticipated, but it also includes important directives that fund useful programs such as Pell Grants, Title I and the idea “Uninterrupted.” It's a welcome commitment, but taxpayers need to know what they're getting for their money,” Spelling added. “Recent layoffs in the department will follow that commitment and challenge them.”
“Hard work begins in deciding how it will help students, between Congress, the Trump administration and families,” she said.
According to Trump, many aspects of the department will do their best, but Title I fundraising, resources for students with disabilities, and Pell grants will be preserved.
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Trump's orders have launched efforts to begin breaking up the division. However, the entire institution cannot be completely repealed unless Congress passes a law that addresses the law establishing a department.
