Because the U.S. Division of Training shrinks following massive layoffs at the agency, President Donald Trump and his allies proceed to make doubtful claims in regards to the company and schooling within the nation.
ABC Information examined a few of President Donald Trump’s widespread complaints in regards to the Division of Training and the state of schooling in america.
Spending vs. outcomes
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. ranks final on this planet in schooling amongst developed nations whereas spending essentially the most per pupil.
“In order 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 will not be true based mostly on knowledge reviewed by ABC Information. The U.S. will not be ranked final in schooling nor does it spend essentially the most per pupil.
The White Home did not reply to ABC Information’ request for details about Trump’s declare. It is unclear which knowledge Trump used to base his claims.
Though the nation spends lots 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 will not be final in any schooling statistic that ABC Information has reviewed.
The U.S. is above common in studying and science, and about common relating to scores in math, in accordance with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA is the trade customary for rating college students from totally different nations, in accordance with schooling specialists. 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, essentially the most lately launched knowledge, 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 data. The U.S. ranked ninth out of 81 in studying, sixteenth/81 in science, and thirty fourth/81 in math, in accordance with the 2022 PISA outcomes.
The PISA outcomes debunk Trump’s long-standing declare that “we’re on the backside of each record.”
The subsequent PISA knowledge assortment is going down in 2025 — and is anticipated to be launched in September 2026, in accordance with an OECD spokesperson.
Nonetheless, this isn’t to say American college students are all the time excessive achievers. Some outcomes on nationally administered exams have proven considerations as of late.
America’s fourth- and eighth-grade college students’ sliding studying scores worsened in 2024, in accordance with the Nationwide Evaluation of Academic Progress, dubbed the nation’s report card, which is run by the Nationwide Middle for Training Statistics below 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 accordance with the NCES knowledge 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 practically one third of U.S. college students ended the 2023-2024 college yr behind grade stage in not less than one educational topic.
It’s unclear whether or not this knowledge might be collected in future years if the DOE is eradicated.
State and native schooling companies
The Trump administration has acknowledged that by way of cuts on the Division of Training, they need to return schooling to the states.
“The president needs to return schooling again to the states, empower these closest to the folks to make these crucial selections for our kids’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 an area level-issue already because the federal schooling division solely administers roughly 10% of public college funds nationwide, in accordance with a number of schooling specialists.
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.
The truth is, curriculum comes from the states and native college districts. The schooling division does not educate the scholars taking standardized exams and assessments. The states already try this.
The schooling division does maintain colleges accountable for imposing non-discrimination legal guidelines based mostly on race, gender and incapacity.
The company additionally administers funds for Okay-12 schooling assist packages such because the Rural Training Achievement Program, which helps rural districts which will lack personnel and sources; 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 students.
Not solely does the division administer Okay-12 help, it additionally helps college students pursue larger schooling by way of the workplace of Federal Pupil Assist by way of grants, work-study funds and low-interest loans.
Lastly, the DOE holds colleges accountable for pupil achievement by way of the Each Pupil Succeeds Act, which requires every state to supply knowledge on topic efficiency, commencement charges, suspensions, absenteeism, trainer {qualifications} and extra.
The Training Division’s mission is to advertise pupil achievement and preparation for international competitiveness by fostering instructional excellence and guaranteeing equal entry, in accordance with ed.gov.
DOE staff displaying as much as work
Trump has claimed, with out proof, that many Division of Training staff weren’t going to work or doing a great 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, a lot 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 bought this data.
Based mostly on dozens of interviews, ABC Information reporting has not discovered any proof of staff “by no means” displaying as much as work, as Trump claimed.
ABC Information has spoken to staff tasked with all the pieces from conducting crucial analysis tasks to imposing anti-discrimination legal guidelines for college students based mostly on race, gender and incapacity, amongst different traits.
When the Division of Training cut nearly 50% of its workforce earlier this week, an e-mail to those that remained employed mentioned, “Please know that these selections weren’t made calmly, and under no circumstances mirror on the dedication and laborious work of those that are leaving.”
Joe Murphy, whose place as a administration and knowledge analyst was eradicated on the Division of Training earlier this week, said on Wednesday that he felt “disposable.”
“We bought the sense that we have been disposable in a sure sense, particularly these of us within the knowledge house,” he informed ABC Information.
Victoria DeLano was an Equal Alternative Specialist within the schooling division’s Workplace for Civil Rights serving folks 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 suppose, OK, yet one more person who 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 e-mail on Tuesday and spoke to ABC Information on the situation of anonymity for worry 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 accordance with senior division of schooling officers.
“All these disabled children, which is the majority of our docket, won’t be helped,” the worker mentioned.
