Because the U.S. Division of Training shrinks following huge layoffs on the company, President Donald Trump and his allies proceed to make doubtful claims in regards to the company and training within the nation.
ABC Information examined a few of President Donald Trump’s frequent complaints in regards to the Division of Training and the state of training in the US.
Spending vs. outcomes
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. ranks final on this planet in training amongst developed nations whereas spending probably the most per pupil.
“So that they rank the highest 40 nations on this planet, we’re ranked No. fortieth, however we’re ranked No. 1 in a single division: price per pupil,” Trump said at the White House last month. “So we spend extra per pupil than some other nation on this planet, however we’re ranked No. 40.”
The headquarters of the U.S. Division of Eduction, which have been ordered closed for the day for what officers described as safety causes amid large-scale layoffs, is seen Mar. 12, 2025, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
This declare is just not true primarily based on information reviewed by ABC Information. The U.S. is just not ranked final in training nor does it spend probably the most per pupil.
The White Home did not reply to ABC Information’ request for details about Trump’s declare. It is unclear which information Trump used to base his claims.
Despite the fact that the nation spends loads per pupil, the Education Data Initiative discovered a median of $20,387 per yr of federal, state and native spending. The quantity is the third-highest per pupil (after adjusting to native forex values). The nation is just not final in any training statistic that ABC Information has reviewed.
The U.S. is above common in studying and science, and about common with regards to scores in math, in keeping with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA is the trade commonplace for rating college students from totally different nations, in keeping with training consultants. There are roughly 40 member nations and economies within the OECD and about 40 extra nations have participated within the final three assessments. It varies by yr — in 2015, 70 nations and economies participated; in 2018, 78 participated.
In 2022, probably the most lately launched information, roughly 81 nations took half in OECD’s PISA assessments, which measure 15-year-olds’ potential to make use of their studying, arithmetic and science information. The U.S. ranked ninth out of 81 in studying, sixteenth/81 in science, and thirty fourth/81 in math, in keeping with the 2022 PISA outcomes.
The PISA outcomes debunk Trump’s long-standing declare that “we’re on the backside of each checklist.”
The subsequent PISA information assortment is happening in 2025 — and is predicted to be launched in September 2026, in keeping with an OECD spokesperson.
Nevertheless, this isn’t to say American college students are at all times excessive achievers. Some outcomes on nationally administered exams have proven issues as of late.
America’s fourth- and eighth-grade college students’ sliding studying scores worsened in 2024, in keeping with the Nationwide Evaluation of Academic Progress, dubbed the nation’s report card, which is run by the Nationwide Heart for Training Statistics beneath the Division of Training. In comparison with 2022, this yr’s common studying scores dropped by 2 factors for each fourth- and eighth-grade assessments, in keeping with the NCES information carried out between January and March 2024. That provides to the 3-point lower for each grades in 2022.
Regardless of the decline in studying, there was some restoration in math in 2024, however the enhance has not returned college students to pre-pandemic ranges.
And NCES additionally discovered almost one third of U.S. college students ended the 2023-2024 faculty yr behind grade degree in at the very least one tutorial topic.
It’s unclear whether or not this information shall be collected in future years if the DOE is eradicated.
State and native training companies
The Trump administration has acknowledged that via cuts on the Division of Training, they need to return training to the states.
“The president desires to return training again to the states, empower these closest to the individuals to make these essential choices for our youngsters’s lives. And … this can be a first step in that course of,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned to ABC Information’ Selina Wang when requested in regards to the cuts on the DOE.
Training is a neighborhood level-issue already because the federal training division solely administers roughly 10% of public faculty funds nationwide, in keeping with a number of training consultants.
Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds an indication as she stands exterior the headquarters of the U.S. Division of Eduction, which have been ordered closed for the day for what officers described as safety causes amid large-scale layoffs, Mar. 12, 2025, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
The Division of Training doesn’t administer curriculum or create classes for the nation’s college students. It additionally doesn’t set necessities for enrollment and commencement or set up or accredit colleges or universities.
In actual fact, curriculum comes from the states and native faculty districts. The training division would not educate the scholars taking standardized exams and assessments. The states already try this.
The training division does maintain colleges accountable for implementing non-discrimination legal guidelines primarily based on race, gender and incapacity.
The company additionally administers funds for Okay-12 training help packages such because the Rural Training Achievement Program, which helps rural districts which will lack personnel and assets; Title I, which funds packages geared toward bettering the efficiency of low-income and low-achieving colleges; and grants for People with Disabilities together with the Transition and Postsecondary Packages for college kids.
Not solely does the division administer Okay-12 help, it additionally helps college students pursue greater training via the workplace of Federal Scholar Assist via grants, work-study funds and low-interest loans.
Lastly, the DOE holds colleges accountable for scholar achievement via the Each Scholar Succeeds Act, which requires every state to supply information on topic efficiency, commencement charges, suspensions, absenteeism, instructor {qualifications} and extra.
The Training Division’s mission is to advertise scholar achievement and preparation for world competitiveness by fostering instructional excellence and guaranteeing equal entry, in keeping with ed.gov.
DOE workers displaying as much as work
Trump has claimed, with out proof, that many Division of Training workers weren’t going to work or doing a very good job.
“A lot of them do not work in any respect. A lot of them by no means confirmed as much as work. A lot of them, lots of them by no means confirmed as much as work,” Trump mentioned on the White Home on Wednesday.
The White Home didn’t reply to ABC Information’ request for remark about the place Trump received this info.
Based mostly on dozens of interviews, ABC Information reporting has not discovered any proof of workers “by no means” displaying as much as work, as Trump claimed.
ABC Information has spoken to workers tasked with every part from conducting crucial analysis initiatives to implementing anti-discrimination legal guidelines for college kids primarily based on race, gender and incapacity, amongst different traits.
When the Division of Training lower almost 50% of its workforce earlier this week, an electronic mail to those that remained employed mentioned, “Please know that these choices weren’t made flippantly, and by no means mirror on the dedication and onerous work of those that are leaving.”
Joe Murphy, whose place as a administration and information analyst was eradicated on the Division of Training earlier this week, mentioned on Wednesday that he felt “disposable.”
“We received the sense that we have been disposable in a sure sense, particularly these of us within the information house,” he instructed ABC Information.
Victoria DeLano was an Equal Alternative Specialist within the training division’s Workplace for Civil Rights serving individuals with disabilities. DeLano mentioned she believes she was the only real worker throughout the OCR who was stationed in Alabama.
“It is horrifying that the Workplace for Civil Rights, to start with, is understaffed, however then, after I was locked out of entry to work final week, to assume, OK, yet another individual that was taken out of the equation,” Delano mentioned.
“These college students have nobody else. They will nonetheless file complaints with OCR. Please perceive OCR is understaffed at finest, and OCR proper now doesn’t have exterior communication with you all. So I do not know the place they flip,” she added.
A regional Division of Training worker, who obtained the discount in pressure electronic mail on Tuesday and spoke to ABC Information on the situation of anonymity for concern of retribution, mentioned their civil rights workplace was abolished.
Workplaces in main cities together with San Francisco, New York, Cleveland, Boston, Chicago and Dallas have shuttered, and the three U.S. Division of Training buildings in D.C. will finally be consolidated, in keeping with senior division of training officers.
“All these disabled youngsters, which is the majority of our docket, is not going to be helped,” the worker mentioned.
