Why Black Kids Need the Education Dept. — and Why Trump Wants it Gone

By Aziah Siid | Word In BlackOverview: Since it split off from the former Department of Health, Edudation and Welfare in the 1980s, the Education Department has been a frequent target for the far right, who see it as a wasteful, “woke” bureaucracy interfering with local control of schools.(WIB) – Donald Trump, the once and perhaps future president, talks about it frequently. Project 2025, the radical conservative blueprint for dismantling the federal government, put it high on the next president’s to-do list. They both call for the Department of Education to be demolished.& While it’s become one of Trump’s favorite talking points, he’s not the first president to come up with the idea. He’s the latest in a long line of powerful, right-wing conservatives dating back to President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, who want to abolish the 157-year-old department.& RELATED: As COVID Cash Dries Up, Can Schools Still Fund Student Resources?The DOE sets the nation’s education policy through initiatives like the& Every Student Succeeds Act& and the& Higher Education Act. It also helps guarantee all students have access to a fair and equitable education for all children. But it also protects the civil rights of minority or disadvantaged children,...