By Dr. Megan Allen, a National Board Certified Teacher, teacher educator, education policy nerd, lover of public education, and an advocate for kids (all of them)

Public education in America is under attack. And not just in a quiet, chipping-away-at-the-foundation kind of way that’s been happening over the past few decades—it’s facing a full-scale demolition with an army of sledgehammers (and no permits nor knowledgeable contractors in sight). If you haven’t been paying attention, now is the time to start. Because what’s happening isn’t just about our public schools; it’s about the future of our workforce, our economy, and the very fabric of our democracy.

For decades, we’ve seen a steady erosion of critical thinking in classrooms due to a relentless push toward high-stakes standardized testing. Now enters the age of the whitewashing of curriculum, districts where you can’t use the word “equity,” and states banning beautiful children’s books due to the senseless fears of ignorant adults. And folks: None of this is accidental. When you limit education, you limit opportunity and access. And when you limit opportunity and access, you widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. You create a nation of bobbleheads and disparities. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has long been a safeguard against these disparities. But now, there’s a very real movement to eliminate it altogether.

What’s at Stake?

If the USDOE is dismantled, the consequences will be far-reaching and devastating:

Civil Rights Protections Will Disappear

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the DOE ensures schools are held accountable for creating safe and equitable learning environments. Without OCR, protections under Title IX (sex-based discrimination) and Title VI (race, national origin, color, and religious discrimination) vanish. Schools could become openly hostile spaces for marginalized students, with little to no federal oversight. We are already seeing some of that with our LGBTQ students, and one could argue that we aren’t that far down the timeline from when our schools were hostile for our black and brown students.

Education Access Will Crumble

The DOE ensures that students with disabilities receive proper education and that funding reaches low-income and rural communities. Without it:

• 7.5 million students with disabilities could lose support.
• 26 million students in high-poverty and rural schools (more than half of all students) could lose funding.
• 1.1 million homeless students could lose the services that keep them in school..

Gulp.

Higher Education Becomes a Privilege, Not a Right

The DOE helps 87 million students and parents afford college. Without it, financial aid, loan programs, and grants that make higher education accessible could vanish, making college a luxury only the wealthy can afford. I urge you to read that stat again—none of this is by accident, y’all.

Beyond Schools: The Ripple Effect

If you think the impact of eliminating the DOE stops at the schoolhouse door, think again. This move would shake our entire economic and social structure.

Property values will drop – Schools influence real estate markets. Defunding education leads to declining school quality, which drags down property values. There goes your home value.

Workforce readiness will decline – Finding good employees is already a challenge; gutting public education will make it even harder to build a competitive workforce. And then that links to global competitiveness.

Communities will suffer – When teachers lose jobs, when families can’t afford childcare or afterschool programs, when students don’t have access to quality education, we see higher poverty rates, increased crime, and a less informed electorate. And I don’t mean metaphorical communities. I’m talking about yours and mine.

Why We Need the USDOE

The mission of the US DOE is clear: to promote student achievement and prepare America for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. Education is a public good. It’s not about politics—it’s about people. It’s about ensuring every child, no matter their zip code, has the opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute to society. THAT is what will make our country great again.

The Endgame: Privatization and the Widening Gap

Let’s be clear: eliminating the DOE isn’t just a misguided budget cut—it’s a power play. The incoming Secretary of Education has made no secret of her desire to privatize education, funneling money away from public schools and into the pockets of for-profit entities. And who benefits? Certainly not the students from low-income families, rural communities, or historically marginalized backgrounds. Certainly not our country.

Privatization deepens inequality, leaving the wealthy with high-performing institutions and the rest with scraps. It’s the ultimate “survival of the fittest” model, where education becomes a privilege rather than a right.

What Can You Do?

This isn’t just an education issue—it’s an access issue. If we allow the DOE to be dismantled, we are complicit in widening the gap between the privileged and the underserved. We need to push back.

• Stay informed. Follow organizations like Protect Public Education and The Education Trust.
• Speak out. Contact your representatives and demand that public education remains a priority. That we need the US DOE. 
• Support your local schools. Whether through volunteering, donations, or advocacy, community investment in education is essential.

Education is the foundation of a free-thinking, critically engaged society. And if we don’t protect it, we risk losing much more than schools—we risk losing the very ideals that define us as a nation.

For further reading:

• protectpubliced.org
• https://edtrust.org/blog/why-we-need-the-department-of-education/#:~:text=The%20Federal%20Student%20Aid%20office,to%20support%20educator%20diversity%2C%20help
• https://edtrust.org/blog/every-american-is-impacted-if-the-department-of-ed-closes/
• https://edtrust.org/blog/how-can-we-make-america-great-if-we-dont-have-a-first-class-education-system/