What’s Happening to the Department of Education?

Note: This blog summarizes updates and insights shared on the One-to-One podcast, “What is Happening to the Department of Education?”. Listen to the full episode for additional details ⇢

There’s been a lot of hubbub lately about the federal Department of Education (DOE), kickstarted by the current administration’s announcement last spring that they intend to “close” the department. 

Since then, there’s been a cascade of announcements and updates that have educators, school leaders, and community members asking if the DOE’s demise – along with its funding, guidance, and oversight roles – is imminent.

National education policy and procedure remain in flux now, at the start of 2026. But there are likely changes that are worth examining, such as DOE’s announced “redistribution” of key work. There are also plenty of misconceptions to clear up, including where education funding *actually* comes from and what’s happening (and not happening) to federal education dollars.

Here are the most relevant updates for K-12 folks:

As you consider all of these updates, please try to keep these constraints in mind:

Despite an executive order directing its closure, only Congress is able to formally eliminate the Department of Education entirely.

These transfers were all formalized through intergovernmental agreements that effectively redistribute a substantive portion of DOE’s work portfolio. These do not constitute a DOE restructure; again, only an act of Congress can do that.

In light of mass layoffs at DOE’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), speculations continue about what federal agency will be tasked with enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Initial speculation indicated that these responsibilities may move to the Department of Health and Human Services, but this has not been formalized (possibly because DOE is statutorily required to administer IDEA).

With the work of DOE’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education transferring to the Department of Labor (DOL), DOL is being asked to handle the distribution and organization of K-12 title funding. These represent the largest chunk of federal funding for K-12 education and covers everything from professional learning and classroom aides to community learning centers and supports for low income students.

This funding is not going away at this time. Instead, these funds will be managed by the DOL in DOE’s place. Precise procedures for obtaining these funds have not yet been established, but may still include some of the staff that previously oversaw these funds at DOE.

There have been some conversations in Washington about collapsing the multiple Title funding lines into one larger Title block grant. This could allow for more flexibility for states and districts but could also impact reporting and accountability built into the current funding structure. This type of structural change has not been enacted at this time.

These funds also differ from the Evidence-Based Formula funds, which make up a significant portion of regular school funds and come from the State of Illinois. These funds are not subject to change as a result of these federal redistributions.

On a recent episode of the LTC’s One-to-One podcast, I covered all of these updates and more. I invite you to listen to it for more context surrounding these updates, as well as a few perspectives on what’s next for federal education policies.