K-12 Education: Untangled — Trends, Issues, and Parental Actions for Public Schools
Raising kids can be tough! I know because I’ve been a single mom who raised two kids on my own. And when they get in the K-12 public education system, learning the ins and outs of that system can get you all tangled up, especially when you’re a parent of color. You need to know about the current trends and issues as well as resources necessary to navigate within the system. That’s what the K-12 Education: Untangled podcast is all about — providing you with tools, information and practical actions to help you and your children succeed within the complexities of K-12 public education.
K-12 Education: Untangled — Trends, Issues, and Parental Actions for Public Schools
Episode 138: When Politics Meets the Classroom — How Federal Education Cuts Threaten Communities of Color
The battle over the Department of Education's existence isn't just political theater—it's a seismic shift that threatens to reshape American education, particularly for our most vulnerable students. When federal oversight disappears, who protects the rights of children with disabilities? Who ensures English language learners receive appropriate instruction? Who tracks whether schools are meeting their obligations to communities of color?
As I meticulously document, the Department of Education—despite being our smallest cabinet agency—oversees an $80 billion budget that fundamentally supports educational equity nationwide. The mass staff reductions already implemented (cutting from 4,000 employees to fewer than 2,200) have strategically targeted the Office of Civil Rights, research departments, and financial aid services—the very offices that enforce anti-discrimination laws and collect crucial data about student achievement.
The consequences ripple through every aspect of K-12 education. Thirty states are already failing to comply with federal disability laws. Native American students, who have specific educational rights through tribal trust agreements, face particular vulnerability as 19% require special education services—higher than any other demographic group. Meanwhile, the drastic reduction of the Office of English Language Acquisition endangers support for 5.3 million English learners and potentially violates Supreme Court decisions guaranteeing their right to appropriate instruction.
Most concerning is that states simply aren't prepared to assume these federal responsibilities. Educational standards vary dramatically between states like Mississippi and Massachusetts, and only one state has indicated readiness to take on these complex regulatory tasks. Without federal oversight, who will enforce consistent standards or prevent discriminatory practices? How will rural districts compete for resources against well-staffed metropolitan schools?
Want to protect your child's educational rights during this uncertain transition? Stay informed about your district's plans, advocate persistently for needed services, and understand that while superintendents remain committed to maintaining crucial programs like summer learning, the path forward requires vigilance from parents and communities alike.
Check out my 24/7 interactive expert on my website! There are some great questions being asked and insightful conversations happening there… Go to https://liberation through education.com/ask-me-anything
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Welcome to another episode of K-12 Education Untangled. My name is Dr Kim J Fields, former corporate manager turned education researcher and advocate, and I'm the host of this podcast. I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with school educators and administrators, as well as experiencing the microaggressions that I faced as an African American mom raising my two kids, who were in the public school system. I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system. Once I gained the information and the insights that I needed, I was then equipped to be able to successfully support my children in their education and progress. This battle-tested experience is what I provide as action steps for you to take. It's like enjoying a bowl of educational research with a sprinkling of mother wisdom on top. If you're looking to find out more about current information and issues in public education that could affect you and your children, and the action steps that you can take to give your children the advantages they need, then you're in the right place. Thanks for tuning in today. I know that staying informed about K-12 public education trends and topics is important to you, so keep listening. Give me 30 minutes and I'll untangle the latest trends, issues and topics pertaining to this constantly evolving K-12 public education environment.
Speaker 1:In this episode, I'll be discussing what the potential closing for the Department of Education could mean for you. I'm sure you've heard the news about the potential closing of the Department of Education by the current White House administration, but what is the impact to you and your children should this plan proceed? I looked into this issue to find out exactly how close to home this hits. I discussed what the potential closing of this federal education agency means, especially for communities of color, in this episode. Let's untangle this episode. Let's untangle this. I tend to stay away from national politics, but the agenda to close the US Department of Education is an issue that could negatively impact families of color. I'll share my thoughts about these impacts after I highlight my findings.
Speaker 1:States are suing the Trump administration over the Department of Education staff firings. The firings would shrink the department staff of more than 4,000 employees to fewer than 2,200. The ultimate goal is to abolish the department. Although closing the department is an act that requires congressional approval. This mass reduction in workforce is so severe and extreme that it prevents the Department of Education from carrying out its congressionally mandated functions. Supposedly, no employees were terminated who work on programs for student loans, grant programs, students with disabilities and the Office of Civil Rights.
Speaker 1:The Department of Education was created by Congress in 1979, and it touches nearly every level of this nation's education system, from early education through higher education. It is the smallest cabinet agency by employee count and oversees a budget of approximately $80 billion, that's billion with a B. It distributes funding to schools, with its two largest funding streams supporting low-income students and students with disabilities totaling roughly $34 billion and, as of 2024, it manages more than $1.6 trillion in federal student loans from 45 million borrowers. Beyond its financial responsibilities, the department collects data, disseminates research and investigates discrimination in schools and universities. The firings disproportionately affected the Department's Office of Civil Rights, its research arm and its financial aid office, which is the largest by headcount. Sciences oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, and statistics gathering and dissemination through the National Center for Education Statistics. This is the unit that is responsible for producing the academic achievement statistics typically known as the nation's report card. The concern with the staff reduction in the Institute of Education Sciences is related to both the data that look like they are no longer going to be collected and the loss of capacity to do data analysis. The National Center for Education Statistics maintains the common core of Data, which is a collection of information on public elementary and secondary schools that undergirds an enormous amount of research in K-12 education.
Speaker 1:The Education Department's Anti-Discrimination Enforcement Arm, the the Office for Civil Rights, is another division sustaining heavy cuts. This office existed even before the Education Department was carved into its own agency 45 years ago and was key to desegregating schools. The Federal Student Aid Office had a 23% staff cut of its 1,371 full-time employees, and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the primary office supporting K-12 districts, lost at least 17% of its staff. That's, 17% of its staff. The Office that Oversees Compliance of Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, had a 9% staff cut. The issue with this type of reduction in force across the Department of Education is that it undermines effectiveness and efficiency and sets us back as a nation, potentially for decades.
Speaker 1:When it comes to special education, states themselves are struggling. Thirty states and the District of Columbia were out of compliance with federal disability law as of June 2024. These cuts to various sections in the Department of Education means that states will have to undertake many of these activities, including collecting statistical information about student progress and appropriate allocations for funding programs, determined by whether the school district is in the city, suburb, town or rural area, becomes competitive. The large metropolitan schools will have more capacity to apply and leverage resources than rural school districts, who may not have access to those same resources. The federal government has trust agreements with hundreds of Native American tribes nationwide to ensure that, in exchange for ceding their land, these groups conveniently have access to education and health care. The National Center for Education Statistics has been conducting an ongoing National Indian Education Study which tracks Native American students' exam scores and their exposure to instruction on Native history, language and culture. With employee layoffs, it would be difficult to determine how well Native American students are doing academically and the extent to which they're exposed to Native language, culture and history.
Speaker 1:Cuts affecting special education will hit particularly hard in Native American communities as well. Roughly 19% of students nationwide who are identified as American, indian and Alaska Native are eligible for special education services, a larger percentage than for any other racial category, compared with roughly 15% of the overall K-12 student population. Lastly, most of the Education Department's Office of English Language Acquisition was eliminated through the reduction in force. This office holds states and local districts accountable for supporting English learners and oversees professional development grants for educators working with English learners. The executive order that made English the official language could create long-term challenges to meet multilingual students' needs. This office is also charged with ensuring that states abide by the 1974 Supreme Court decision guaranteeing English learners the right to English language instruction right to English language instruction. The United States has currently 5.3 million English learners, so any downsizing of staff in this office would be detrimental to the types of resources and support that educators are receiving.
Speaker 1:At this moment, the US Department of Education is blocking access to tens of millions of dollars meant for K-12 schools. The problems, like the federal government failing to reimburse funds for school district expenses, have affected at least seven states, including California, new York, illinois, kansas, kentucky, missouri and Utah. At least 11 other states' education departments haven't experienced any delays in getting their school districts reimbursed. The money in question comes from a very small amount of leftover pandemic relief funds that school districts and states have allocated and are waiting to spend on programs providing pandemic relief for public schools and private schools. In Illinois, for example, education officials are waiting on roughly $8 million to cover district expenses like transportation for homeless children, adaptive technology for children with disabilities, certification for teachers of English learners and after-school tutoring to address learning loss. Impacted school districts may have to stop these services that are paid by these grants if the funding does not continue. These ongoing funding disruptions more than likely violate existing federal policy, given that the US Treasury Department has agreements with the states that spell out that the reimbursement process that the government must follow is to pay education disbursements within one day. The government is supposed to pay interest. If it delays payments to a state or school district grant recipient, the summer school programs that your children may have attended could be in jeopardy.
Speaker 1:Some school programs are critical to students' academic success. The programs give more instructional time for those students who need it. High-quality summer learning programs are essential to students' success. Even when federal emergency funds expire, district leaders and superintendents remain committed to sustaining and expanding those opportunities because they know the positive impact that they make on academic achievement and student engagement. 81% of superintendents said they plan to use money from district budgets to continue funding these expanded summer learning programs. Summer learning programs include those for remediation, for students with disabilities as well as for all students who just want to get ahead, and these programs also provide enrichment for high-performing students. The percentage of district-run summer programs might not fully capture all the summer enrichment programs that are available to children in many communities. In some communities, local nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies offer camps and other learning opportunities for students that don't necessarily follow district curriculum but feature hands-on fun and creative experiences for all types of students. Ideally, though, these organizations will have worked with the school district to incorporate at least some of its goals and areas of emphasis, such as improving basic math and reading skills for young students. If the majority of superintendents fail strongly enough to continue summer programs without federal funding, this will be an important step forward because some programs have been shown to be effective tools to improve academic outcomes.
Speaker 1:One area that's not directly from the Department of Education that impacts K-12 public education students is the Institute of Museum and Library Services. An executive order was given to this agency to eliminate non-statutory components and functions. The reduction of funding for this agency could jeopardize literacy development and reading programs, reliable internet access for those without it at home and homework help and other resources for students and educators. State libraries provide supplemental materials for smaller local libraries through their interlibrary loan system, which is an additional resource for K-12 schools At the local level. State libraries provide their community with resources like Internet access or meals during summer break program that has sent more than $160 million annually to all states in recent years to support general library services statewide, as well as some education-focused services such as library tutoring programs and professional development for teachers. The shortage of funding could have detrimental consequences for many students, including students of color and those in rural areas. For example, maine, a mostly rural state, has received a total of about $51 million from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Of that funding, 61% has gone to Maine's state library-provided statewide services, such as the creation of a database of articles, audiobooks, e-books and courses online. But this may all be in jeopardy because of the suspension of grant processing, since the agency has shrunk and has lost some of its staff. The executive order could also affect the Institute of Museum and Library Services programmatic grants. For example, volunteers at the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians were recipients of the Laura Bush 21st Century Library Program in 2024 and were awarded funds to carry out a project. They've been working with school districts in Philadelphia to bring back school library services to the students. Cutting funding for grants such as this would make a detrimental impact on bringing back school librarians and libraries to schools in the Philadelphia area.
Speaker 1:It seems to me that an outcome of these executive orders in the area of the Department of Education and ancillary departments is to make it difficult for diverse students to enrich their education. These students include students of color, english language learners, students with disabilities and students from low-income communities. These intentional acts are divisive, racist and detrimental to Americans. What has been forgotten is that education is a vital national interest. The other thing about the potential closure of the Department of Education and remember that this cannot officially be done without congressional approval is that the states are not ready to take over the many roles of education. Ready to take over the many roles of education they are used to? One central agency providing funding, overseeing programs, etc. Will states be able to handle the deluge of tasks that are required to keep education at a high level of standards for each state? Only one state indicated that it's ready to take on these tasks. What about the other 49 states? And what about the disparities in educational standards and progress within different states? Are the educational standards in Mississippi the same as they are in Massachusetts? What's the plan to recruit parents to be involved in education at the state level. How does this impact rural communities? There are a lot of serious implications here that have not really been thought through, and these could definitely have significant impacts on communities of color, and widening the inequities in education is just a start.
Speaker 1:I've highlighted some of the issues with the potential closing of the Department of Education, so what can you do about it? Here are the action steps you can take regarding this topic. If you're a parent whose child is not receiving special education accommodations, you're more than likely out of luck. You can file your application for these accommodations, but it's unknown as to whether someone on the customer service call will be able to assist you. You, additionally, the Office for Civil Rights had regional offices that allowed attorneys to do on-site investigations, including allowing attorneys to measure bathrooms and playgrounds for accessibility, check softball and baseball fields for equal athletic opportunity, visit the room where students may have reportedly been secluded, and they also see how students could have been restrained. All of these matters require in-person investigation, but the office now lacks many of these reasonable locations, and it basically means that parents and students are going to have to go without access to education. It also means that if you're a parent of a child with a disability, you'll have a hard time holding your child's school accountable for failing to provide legally mandated services. My advice to you is to stay plugged into your school district news so that you stay up to date about the potential changes that could be coming into effect starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The more you know, the better off you'll be to make informed decisions. Buckle up. Here are this episode's takeaways.
Speaker 1:The Department of Education was created by Congress in 1979, and it touches nearly every level of this nation's education system, from early education through higher education. It's the smallest cabinet agency by employee count and oversees a budget of approximately $80 billion. It distributes funding to schools, with its two largest funding streams supporting low-income students and students with disabilities totaling roughly $34 billion, and, as of 2024, it manages more than $1.6 trillion in federal student loans from 45 million borrowers. Beyond its financial responsibilities, the department collects data, disseminates research and investigates discrimination in schools and universities. Cuts to various sections in the Department of Education means that states will have to undertake many of these activities, including collecting statistical information about student progress and appropriate allocations for funding programs, determined by whether the school district is in the city, suburb, town or rural area. If funding for these different categories of school districts becomes competitive, the large metropolitan schools will have more capacity to apply and leverage resources than rural school districts, who may not have access to these resources.
Speaker 1:The summer school programs that your children may have attended could be in jeopardy. Summer school programs are critical to students' academic success. The programs give more instructional time for students who need it. High-quality summer learning programs are essential to student success. The good news is that even when federal emergency funds expire, district leaders and superintendents remain committed to sustaining and expanding those opportunities because they know the positive impact they make on academic achievement and student engagement. 81 percent of superintendents said they plan to use money from district budgets to contribute and continue funding these expanded summer learning programs.
Speaker 1:One area that's not directly from the Department of Education that impacts K-12 public education students is the Institute of Museum and Library Services. An executive order was given to this agency to eliminate non-statutory components and functions. The reduction of funding for this agency could jeopardize literacy development and reading programs, reliable internet access for those without it at home and homework help and other resources for students and educators. State libraries provide supplemental materials for smaller local libraries through their interlibrary loan system, which is an additional resource for K-12 schools At the local level. State libraries provide their community with resources like internet access or meals during summer break. The largest portion of the Institute of Museum and Library Services Agency budget is its state grants program that has sent more than $160 million annually to all states in recent years to support general library services statewide. A loss of libraries could be devastating to many communities in this country.
Speaker 1:What are your thoughts about the potential closure of the Department of Education and how it could impact your children? Let me know what you're thinking by leaving me a text comment on my podcast website, k12educationuntangledbuzzsproutcom. If you enjoyed this episode, why not listen to another episode from our library? It could take as little as 10 minutes of your day and remember. New episodes come out every Tuesday. Thanks for listening today. I hope you'll come back for more K-12 educational discussions with even more exciting topics to untangle. Until next time, aim to learn something new every day.
