Joint Center Condemns Executive Order to Close the Department of Education, Citing Threat to Black Academic Advancement

Joint Center March 21, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2025

Contact:
Kennedy Fortner, kennedy.fortner@jointcenter.org
Victoria Johnson, victoria. johnson@jointcenter.org

Joint Center Condemns Executive Order to Close the Department of Education, Citing Threat to Black Academic AdvancementWASHINGTON — Yesterday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to close the Department of Education, a 45-year-old agency with a budget of $268 billion that oversees data collection, school funding, financial aid, and the enforcement of civil rights laws related to education. This action follows drastic changes to the administration, including layoffs and reductions in force (RIFs) led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Over 1,500 Department of Education staff were eliminated, including more than half of the Office of Civil Rights field offices.

In response to the signing of an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released the following statements:

“The Department of Education was created to advance civil rights and expand educational opportunities, particularly for Black students and other historically marginalized communities,” said Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad. “Dismantling this 45-year-old institution could roll back decades of progress, severely weakening federal oversight that protects students from discrimination and strengthens access to resources that promote economic mobility. As federal departments can only be closed through acts of Congress, we encourage all members of Congress to uphold the Department of Education to ensure key federal programs are adequately preserved.”

This is not the first time in U.S. history that efforts have been made to dismantle federal education oversight. In 1868, when President Andrew Johnson was in office, Congress demoted the first U.S. Department of Education to an Office of Education under the Department of the Interior to prevent federal civil rights intervention in segregated public school systems. President Trump is now attempting to take similar action, again threatening federal safeguards to advance education for all.

“The mass firings at the Department of Education have already eliminated thousands of career staff who understood the inner workings of the Department’s administration and oversight of programs that support Black students, including Pell Grants and other financial aid, as well as other key staff like IT workers who keep important systems like the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the National Center for Education Statistics functioning and accessible. More than half of Black students receive a Pell Grant. Delays or disruptions in processing FAFSA applications will endanger these students’ paths to college completion,” said Joint Center Workforce Policy Director Dr. Kayla Elliott. “The long-term effects of the complete closure of the Department of Education will be pernicious for all marginalized students, especially those in states the federal government has had to hold accountable for upholding civil rights. Higher education students, practitioners, scholars, advocates, employers, and policymakers must all remain united in ensuring Black students have equitable access to institutions that are safe, well-funded, and inclusive.”

The Joint Center will remain steadfast in our mission to provide compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the full freedom of Black people in America.

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