and I win

Donald Trump Signs Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education

Yep. Took a decade, but I won, and you lost. Suck it, butches!

 

People here aren't any better than anyone else at seeing the future. Look at the political threads where more than one person asserted there was no problem with the way Kamala was chosen (and other aspects) and that she was going to crush Trump like a bug. Well, not so much.

The people here (some with advanced degrees) are as blinded by their own biases and beliefs as anyone else.

Bet there are things you are wrong about too. I hope you didn't hang on to this for ten years as that would be a shame to have it live rent free in your head.

 

I've never quite understood why there even is a Department of Education. It does good stuff, of course, but is Education really appropriate for federal activity, outside of enforcement of civil rights elsewhere guaranteed by the U.S. constitution?

People (sometimes including me) who fear that nasty and stupid things will happen if the States are allowed to manage Education without federal "oversight" need to remember that policy isn't the point. The point is whether the constitution grants Congress power to legislate in this area. If it does, I can't see where.

I might not like what Texas does with their public school curriculum. I sure I won't but it's up to the people of Texas to govern themselves even as we New Mexicans must govern ourselves as we see fit.

 

You just explained Canadian federalism, especially as it pertains to Quebec!

 

Well, not quite, if I understand the Canadian situation. Doesn't Quebec have special rights and privileges allowed to no other Province?

 

No.

There has been some populist grievance in English Canada complaining that Quebec received special rights. But these weren’t actually rights or didn’t they accrue to Quebec.

For example, Quebec candidates since World War II have a great rate of being elected Prime Minister. But major parties still often choose non-Quebec leaders, and a non-Quebec leader sometimes wins the Quebec prime ministership and even by defeating a Quebec leader. Also note the most recent conservative prime minister from Quebec was from the English-speaking minority with an English name.

Or, there are preferences for bilingual employees in certain senior and certain direct-contact government jobs. But this is like other governments with more than one major official language, and bilingualism is attainable anywhere in Canada.

 

The US Department of Education is the smallest cabinet level department in the federal government.

quote:
The Department of Education is administered by the United States secretary of education. In 2021 it had more than 4,000 employees – the smallest staff of the Cabinet agencies[6] – and a 2024 budget of $268 billion, up from $14 billion when it was established in 1979. In 2025, the department's budget was about four percent of the total US federal spending.[7]
...
The department identifies four key functions:[14]

• Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education and distributing as well as monitoring those funds.
• Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research.
• Focusing national attention on key issues in education, and making recommendations for education reform.
• Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Education

What is the ED doing that most upsets Republicans? I really don't know. I suspect that last bullet key function is what upsets Musk and Trump the most though.

 

Full-day or most-of-the-day French education is generally available in public school systems across Canada and does a great job.

French as a second language classes within English programs public schools in English-speaking provinces do not do a great job overall.

 

I have an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. French was one of the subjects within an English curriculum. I really don't recall anything from those lessons.

 

But do Quebec schools require students to study English?

 

Yes. Additionally, the Quebec Anglophone minority has full-day English public schools, which my father attended.

 

Well, we can begin with the constitutionally dubious basis for its existence; its failure to regulate federal funds responsibly (e.g., loans), and the needless bureaucracy over what obviously ought to be managed locally.

 

Thanks for responding! The question in my post was "What is the ED doing that most upsets Republicans?"

Again here's the 4 key functions that they perform in the department.

• Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education and distributing as well as monitoring those funds.
• Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research.
• Focusing national attention on key issues in education, and making recommendations for education reform.
• Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.

 

In Canada, there is no single national Ministry of Education. Education is primarily a provincial and territorial responsibility, meaning each of Canada's 13 provinces and territories has its own ministry or department responsible for overseeing education. These ministries or departments are in charge of setting curricula, standards, and policies for primary, secondary, and post-secondary education within their respective regions.
The federal government plays a role in funding education for specific groups, such as Indigenous communities, and in areas like research funding and setting policies for federally-run institutions (e.g., military or federal prisons). However, the majority of decisions regarding education are made at the provincial or territorial level.

 

What about the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research? Do they expect Swiss students to study French, German, Italian, and Romansh in all regions?

 

From what I'm told by friends, there is one main language and the rest are electives, students have to select at least one additional language.
As to Canada, due to new immigration restrictions in the USA, there is increase in migration to Canada, so over time it's expected that more Spanish and other languages speakers will be in Canada.
A Canadian professor warned that migration will surge in Canada thanks to the US administration’s strict border enforcement.

Kelly Sundberg from Mount Royal University spoke on "60 Minutes Overtime" Sunday night about a "tsunami" of migrants that can be expected to cross through the United States into Canada out of fear of being arrested or deported.

"I hope I'm wrong, but it would appear that we're going to be overwhelmed by the illegal immigrants fleeing American authorities coming into our country, -----" Sundberg said.

 

Let's try it this way. I labeled your post into three parts 1, 2, and 3. See above in the copy of your post included here in this post. I'll address each part separately.

1. I'll just discard this as purely political banter. The ED was established in 1979. This argument may be a talking point in Republican circles but it has zero backup from the courts. Perhaps we'll see this tested in the courts over the next few months though?

2. The student loans and Pell grants are the area that the vast majority of the 4,000 employees at the ED are working, I'll guess. I have no clue how moving this to the SBA or anywhere else will improve whatever it is that you're complaining about here. Perhaps you're just arguing that all financial support to students should come from the states or no financial support should be offered to students at all. But, I'd be slightly surprised if that is what you're arguing here.

3. First and most importantly, education is already managed locally in this country. It is managed at the school district and state level almost exclusively, with only a few exceptions. The four key functions of the ED were listed in my previous post. The one that would seem to make the most sense for this point to be arguing against is the fourth item. "Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education" I would argue that handling this aspect at the federal level is the best place to do it. The Jim Crow era is a good example as to why I say that. Unless you're like Trump and Musk arguing (indirectly) that racism and misogyny are what we need to make America great again. I doubt that but I don't really know.