The Department of Education (DOE) has been dominating news headlines over the past few months as conversations are swirling around the federal government potentially shutting down the organization founded under the Carter administration.
But with the recent spotlight on the DOE, a department that oversees tens of billions of funding annually, there are many unanswered questions about what exactly the department does and how its work concretely benefits students, teachers and schools across the country. Let’s break it down.
Understanding the Differences
To start, it’s important to know the differences between the federal DOE and the Maryland State Department of Education.
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s website, a vast majority of education spending—a figure hovering around 90% for K-12 students—comes from state, local and private sources.
States also take on almost all the responsibility for day-to-day operations within the school systems by setting curriculum, graduation standards, program requirements and more.
MSDE: How It Works
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is controlled by the State Board of Education, which appoints the State Superintendent of Schools, who executes policy and the board’s adopted regulations, according to the state government’s website.
The superintendent serves on several advisory boards, and that office oversees audits, finances and operations, and helps set strategic education plans for the state.
The board deals with curriculum, public programs in libraries and vocational rehabilitation and sets standards for teachers and other professional staff working in the school system.
The Federal Role
The Federal DOE takes a far broader support role with education, as it’s largely responsible for financial assistance to schools and collecting national data to analyze for future action.
Among its responsibilities are:
• Setting policy for the use of federal funds for education, i.e. student loans, research grants, disability and low-income support
• Distributing those funds and overseeing their use following approval from Congress and the president
• Researching schools across the country to help identify best practices in teaching, issues in the education system and assessments on programs
• Advising the president on educational reform
• Formulating legislative proposals for Congress
• Raising awareness of education issues through press and school visits
• Honoring successes of teachers and students through national programs (the Blue Ribbon Schools and Presidential Scholars award programs, the Teaching Ambassador Fellows Program and the Student Art Exhibit Program)
• Enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination for federally funded programs and organizations to ensure students have equal access to education
What the DOE Does Not Do
Even with knowledge of its roles and responsibilities, there is still some confusion over what the DOE can do.
The department does not establish schools, develop or implement curriculum for schools, hire teachers or state employees, set enrollment or graduation requirements, determine other state education standards and create or implement testing standards to
measure states.
What Happens if the DOE Is Eliminated?
The consequences of fully eliminating the department are not entirely clear yet, and no concrete plan had been announced as of press time for what would become of the services the DOE provides.
It’s possible that some programs, like the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which investigates federal law violations, could move to the Department of Justice, but the future of several others would likely be left up to the states.
The National Education Association (NEA), a professional organization with 3 million members across the country, writes that several key programs could be affected by a shutdown of the DOE.
The NEA notes that Title I, a program that provides aid to schools in low-income areas, could have its funding turned into block grants for the state, which could use the money as desired with little to no oversight.
The organization adds that $15 billion in disability support, federal student loans and the OCR could move to another department, which could potentially decrease the funding available. This would mean fewer resources available to students to ensure they have equal access to education and funding.
Having a good understanding of state and federal roles in education can help parents make informed decisions about advocacy, voting and where to go for resources. Find updates as news about the DOE develops on washingtonfamily.com.
