U.S. Education Department
How the Education Department is using civil rights laws to bring schools to heel
The Trump administration is using decades-old laws, meant to prevent discrimination, to threaten school districts and states with cuts to vital federal funding.
Today is the last day for many Education Department workers. Here’s what they did
Employees across multiple divisions agree: They can't imagine how the department will fulfill its legal obligations with roughly half its staff gone.
Education Department says it’s releasing more than $5 billion in frozen grants
The grants fund a wide range of education programs, including migrant education, services for English language learners and adult education.
What borrowers should know about student loan changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill
Now that President Trump has signed Republicans' massive overhaul of the federal student loan program, we explain what's set to change.
Supreme Court says Trump’s efforts to close the Education Department can continue
The Trump administration had appealed a decision that had directed it to stop gutting the U.S. Education Department and to reinstate many of the workers the government had laid off.
24 states sue Trump admin to unfreeze more than $6 billion in education grants
The lawsuit comes two weeks after the Trump administration first notified states it was withholding previously approved funds for migrant education, before- and after- school programs and more.
The Trump admin is withholding over $6 billion in education grants for schools
The federal grant funding traditionally goes out by July 1. It includes support for migrant education, after-school programs and English language learners.
Trump admin asks SCOTUS to intervene and allow Ed Dept cuts
In an emergency appeal, the administration is asking the Supreme Court to lift a lower-court order blocking mass staffing cuts at the Education Department.
Trump’s budget calls for a 15% funding cut to the Education Department
New details of the administration's budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 came after a federal judge blocked the president's efforts to close the U.S. Education Department.
Judge blocks Trump administration from closing the Education Department
The federal judge also told the administration to reinstate department employees who lost their jobs during the reduction-in-force announced in March.
Families say school civil rights investigations have stalled after federal cuts
The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights investigates discrimination in schools. It recently lost more than 40% of its staff.
DOGE abruptly cut a program for teens with disabilities. This student is ‘devastated’
The program, Charting My Path for Future Success, aimed to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to the real world. It abruptly ended when DOGE terminated its federal contract.
How the Education Department helps students with disabilities get an education
Special education laws and the U.S. Department of Education have evolved together over nearly five decades. Now, the Trump administration seems to want to separate the two.
6 things borrowers should know about federal student loans right now
NPR has spent the past few weeks catching up with student loan experts and asking the Trump administration for clarity on some of borrowers' biggest questions.
How the Ph.D. Project, and 45 colleges, became a target of the Trump administration
For about 30 years, the Ph.D. Project has supported students from underrepresented groups who are earning doctoral degrees in business. Now, it's attracted the attention of the Trump administration.
Trump says Education Department will no longer oversee student loans, ‘special needs’
The president said federal student loans would move to the Small Business Administration, and hinted that the Department of Health and Human Services would take over special education oversight.
How the Education Department cuts could hurt low-income and rural schools
With cuts to nearly all the staff at the Department of Education's primary data agency, low-income and rural schools may not get the federal funds they rely on in coming years.
Trump to sign order aiming to close the Education Department
The Trump administration has already moved to cut the department's staff by half.
What parents, teachers and school choice groups think of Education Department cuts
Teacher unions and some parent groups condemned the cuts, while school choice advocates celebrated them.
U.S. Education Department switches to remote work amid talk of layoffs
The announcement further unsettled department employees who have spent the past several weeks anticipating sweeping staff cuts.
Trump prepares order dismantling the Education Department
The draft executive action, obtained by NPR, acknowledges the department and its signature responsibilities were created by Congress, and cannot legally be altered without congressional approval.
Linda McMahon has been confirmed as Trump’s secretary of education
The White House has been clear that it intends to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, and that it will be McMahon's job to oversee that effort.
Trump’s pick for secretary of education is Linda McMahon. Here’s what to know
McMahon's confirmation proceedings are likely to focus on how she would handle Donald Trump's plans to dissolve the U.S. Education Department.
Trump administration targets Education Department research arm in latest cuts
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is responsible for gathering data on a wide range of topics, including research-backed teaching practices and the state of U.S. student achievement.
Linda McMahon led WWE and the SBA. The U.S. Education Dept. may be next
McMahon has a limited background in education, and a long career as a business executive. She'd be stepping into an agency the president hopes to dissolve.
