Department of Education

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Small Business Administration to Cut 43% of Its Jobs

News comes as president says SBA will handle student loans going forward

(Newser) - The Small Business Administration's 6,500 workers make up less than half a percent of the entire federal workforce, per CBS News —and that figure is set to shrink. The agency on Friday announced that it planned to cut its workforce by 43%, for an eventual annual cost...

Trump Signs Order on Education Department, to Unclear Effect
Trump Asks Students:
'Should I Do This?'
the rundown

Trump Asks Students: 'Should I Do This?'

President signs executive order on Education Department

(Newser) - The White House made a production out of President Trump's signing of an executive order to cancel the Education Department—bringing in governors, young students, and props—while acknowledging that he lacks authority to fulfill the campaign promise. "It sounds strange, doesn't it? Department of Education. We'...

Next Executive Order Mandates Closing Education Department

White House ceremony is planned for Thursday, though elimination requires congressional action

(Newser) - President Trump plans to sign an executive order on Thursday designed to eliminate the Department of Education, White House officials said. A ceremony is scheduled in the East Room of the White House with Republican governors and state education commissioners, USA Today reports. Trump will instruct Education Secretary Linda McMahon...

Democratic AGs Sue Over 'Evisceration' of Education Dept.

Attorneys general from 20 states and DC say mass layoffs are part of illegal plan

(Newser) - Democratic attorneys generals in 20 states and Washington, DC, are taking the Trump administration to court over mass layoffs that have reduced the Department of Education's workforce to around half the size it was in January. The lawsuit, noting that President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have "...

McMahon: Trump Isn't 'Taking Away Education'

She says mass layoffs are eliminating 'bureaucratic bloat'

(Newser) - Education Secretary Linda McMahon says mass layoffs at the Department of Education do not mean that President Trump is "taking away education"—but he still plans to eliminate the department. In a Fox News interview, McMahon told Laura Ingraham that Trump's directive to her "clearly, is...

Education Department Announces Mass Layoffs

Almost half its workforce is being cut

(Newser) - On Tuesday, Education Department employees were told that the agency's Washington headquarters and regional offices would be closed Wednesday for "security reasons." The department later announced that it was cutting almost half its workforce. Officials say 1,315 employees are being laid off and around 600 more...

Trump Appears Poised to Gut Education Dept.



Trump May Be
Ready to Gut
Education Dept.
THE RUNDOWN

Trump May Be Ready to Gut Education Dept.

President is expected to sign executive order as soon as Thursday calling for shuttering of agency

(Newser) - Linda McMahon was confirmed earlier this week as the nation's new education chief, and now, she's reportedly about to receive her first major directive from her boss: Dismantle the department she's leading. The Wall Street Journal , Washington Post , and ABC News are among the outlets reporting that...

Linda McMahon Is the New Education Chief

Trump has said he wants her department dismantled

(Newser) - The Senate voted Monday to confirm former wrestling executive Linda McMahon as the nation's education chief, a role that places her atop a department that President Trump has vilified and vowed to dismantle. McMahon will face the competing tasks of winding down the Education Department while also escalating efforts...

Protesters Interrupt McMahon Confirmation Hearing

She says Department of Education programs might be transferred, but not defunded

(Newser) - With her history in the wrestling industry, Linda McMahon is no stranger to rowdy crowds, but President Trump's nominee for secretary of education might not have been expecting one at her Senate confirmation hearing. The Hill reports that at least five protesters were removed after interrupting McMahon's hearing...

Education Dept.'s Dismantling 'From Within' Is About to Begin

Sources say President Trump is set to sign EO to lay out path for shuttering agency

(Newser) - WWE founder Linda McMahon has yet to be confirmed as the new head of the Department of Education , but it's not yet clear what will be left of the department for her to lead. Sources say that President Trump is set to sign an executive order this month that...

GOP Senator: 'Long Past Time' to End Education Department

Sen. Mike Rounds intros bill to shut down agency, 'rehome' programs into other departments

(Newser) - Earlier this week, President-elect Trump nominated WWE co-founder Linda McMahon to head the Department of Education—but if Mike Rounds has his way, there soon won't be any department for her to lead. The GOP senator from South Dakota introduced a bill on Thursday that would shut down the...

Trump's Education Secretary Pick: 'Billionaire Pro Wrestling Mogul'

President-elect announces he will nominate Linda McMahon

(Newser) - President-elect Trump's latest Cabinet announcement: Linda McMahon for secretary of education. McMahon and her husband, Vince McMahon, founded World Wrestling Entertainment; the AP refers to her as a "billionaire professional wrestling mogul." Linda McMahon has served as a board member of Sacred Heart University and also briefly...

Judges in 2 States Halt Chunk of Biden Loan Forgiveness Plan

Kansas, Missouri earn temporary victory that puts the kibosh on key parts of student loan program

(Newser) - Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday together blocked much of a Biden administration student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers. The judges' rulings prevent the US Department of Education from helping many of the intended borrowers...

Department of Education Is Investigating Harvard

Following claims of Islamophobia, anti-Arab sentiment

(Newser) - Following a civil rights complaint filed by Arab and Muslim students against Harvard, the Department of Education has launched an investigation into the university. The students say that because they are Palestinian, Muslim, or supporters of Palestinian rights, they've been subjected to "rampant harassment and racist attacks including...

Florida Says AP Psychology Course Is Illegal

Education Department demands removal of gender and sexuality topics, taught for 3 decades

(Newser) - After blocking the Advanced Placement course on African American Studies, Florida has now "effectively banned" AP Psychology, too, according to the College Board, which oversees the AP program. It says the Florida Department of Education instructed superintendents on Thursday "that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender...

DOE Looking Into How Harvard Admits Students

Harvard's legacy, donor admissions in the spotlight after SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action

(Newser) - A landmark ruling last month by the US Supreme Court struck a blow against using affirmative action in college admissions, and soon after that decision, murmurs began intensifying on an adjacent controversy—legacy and donor admissions. Now, one of the Ivy Leagues is under the microscope over the practice: The...

8th-Graders' History Scores Are a 'National Concern'

US history, civics scores hit record low in national assessment

(Newser) - Far too many American students are failing to learn the basics about their country's history and how their government operates, according to the assessment known as the "Nation's Report Card." The average history score among eighth-graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) dropped five...

GAO: So About That $114B Due In From Student Loans...

Watchdog report: Education Dept. is instead set to lose about $197B, partly due to COVID relief

(Newser) - The Department of Education had been banking on getting its hands on $114 billion or so in income due from federal student loans issued over the past quarter-century. Instead, a watchdog has delivered some bad news: It's actually set to lose $197 billion, in part due to the suspension...

Students Misled by Universities Will Have Loans Canceled

Biden administration grants relief to those who claimed fraud by for-profit schools

(Newser) - The Biden administration on Wednesday announced it will cancel more than $70 million in student debt for borrowers who say they were defrauded by the for-profit DeVry University— the first time the Education Department has approved such claims for an institution that’s still in operation. At least 1,800...

Gay, Transgender Students Now Have Title IX Protections

Education Department reverses Trump-era policy

(Newser) - It's not clear how much of a bulwark it will be against legislation around the country to limit their rights, but the US Education Department has released guidance decreeing that Title IX prohibits discrimination against gay and transgender students. The guidance cites a Supreme Court ruling a year ago...

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