Will the U.S. Department of Education be disbanded by Trump Administration?
This video examines the historical foundation of the U.S. Department of Education, its mission to promote equal access and accountability in education, and the conservative-driven debate over its future.
The potential dismantling of the Department of Education (DOE) by the Trump administration is a subject of intense debate and questions. How could this affect the state of Georgia?
While some argue it would reduce federal overreach, others warn of devastating consequences for education, particularly in states heavily reliant on federal funding.
“During the 2021-22 school year, public schools in Georgia received 16.1% of funding from the federal government,” according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.
Here are some of the things that Georgia’s DOE provides:
Title I, Part A – Family School Partnership
The Family School Partnership Program ensures that parents and family engagement regulations are met. This program uses strategic actions to build parent and school staff capacity, as mandated by federal law, to support high student academic achievement.
Title I, Part A – Foster Care Provisions
Foster Care Provisions is to support children and youth in foster care by ensuring school access, improved educational outcomes, and enhanced academic stability, following guidelines from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Title I, Part A – Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
This section of guidelines is used to provide supplemental funding to help educators to improve the academic achievement of students who are economically and educationally disadvantaged.
Title I, Part C – Education of Migratory Children
This section is a federally-funded program that supports the education of Migratory Children. Its main goal is to help reduce the educational disruption and other problems that result from repeated moves.
Title I, Part D – Neglected and Delinquent Children
Part D of Title I focuses on improving educational services for neglected or delinquent children and youth in state institutions. It’s to lessen dropouts, but also provide dropouts, and children and youth returning from correctional facilities or institutions for neglected or delinquent children and youth, with a support system to ensure their continued education.
Other federal programs benefiting the Georgia Dept. of Education
- ESSER – Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. Georgia’s state plan for the remainder of its federal stimulus funds under the American Rescue Plan (ARP — ESSER) was approved July 22, 2021 by the U.S. Department of Education, bringing an additional $1.4 billion to support K-12 schools in the state.
- Title II, Part A – Supporting Effective Instruction: A program that supports local education agencies. It provides resources, technical assistance, and monitoring to improve the effectiveness of educators and school leaders, ultimately enhancing student achievement.
- Title III, Part A – Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students: This details the language instruction programs provided to English learners and immigrant students in Georgia’s schools.
- Title IV, Part A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment: The SSAE grants, authorized by ESSA, aim to improve student academic achievement by increasing resources for schools and communities.
- Title IV, Part B – Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers: GaDOE uses federal funds to support community learning centers that provide academic enrichment, additional services, and family engagement opportunities for students.
- Title V, Part B – Rural Education Achievement Program: Aims to enhance instruction and student achievement in rural school districts. REAP uses federal resources and comprises two programs: The Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program and the Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS) program.
- Title IX, Part A – McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth: This program ensures that homeless children and youth have equal access to education and support services.
For more information, visit gadoe.org.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.