In a welcomed move to return educational authority to the states, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the phased closure of the U.S. Department of Education. The order shifts power away from Washington and back to states, school districts, and parents—marking a historic step toward restoring local control and academic excellence.
Pennsylvania Family Institute’s Director of Communications Josue Sierra and Policy Associate Emily Kreps were honored guests at the White House ceremony. Both have been vocal advocates for school choice, parental rights, and local empowerment, and they praised the order as a long-awaited course correction in American education.
Our Nation’s bright future relies on empowered families, engaged communities, and excellent educational opportunities for every child,” the Executive Order states. “Unfortunately, the experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars—and the unaccountable bureaucracy those programs and dollars support—has plainly failed our children, our teachers, and our families. (WhiteHouse.gov)
President Trump emphasized the need to return education “very simply back to the states where it belongs,” calling the move both popular and rooted in common sense. Since the Department of Education’s creation in 1979, inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending has nearly doubled, yet student performance has remained stagnant or declined.
Just this year, the National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed that 70% of 8th graders are below proficient in reading, and 72% are below proficient in math. Meanwhile, the Department—one of the youngest Cabinet-level agencies created in 1979—continues to operate a $10 million PR office, yet it “does not educate anyone,” the order points out.
Certain necessary programs are being shifted to other agencies who can run them better – like student loans to the Small Business Administration, special needs to Health and Human Services, and the nutrition program to Health and Human Services.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, in a statement released shortly after the signing, praised the Executive Order.
Today’s Executive Order is a history-making action by President Trump to free future generations of American students and forge opportunities for their success. We are sending education back to the states where it so rightly belongs.
Education is fundamentally a state responsibility. Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities.
Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs. We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.
With today’s action, we take a significant step forward to give parents and states control over their children’s education. Teachers will be unshackled from burdensome regulations and paperwork, empowering them to get back to teaching basic subjects. Taxpayers will no longer be burdened with tens of billions of dollars of waste on progressive social experiments and obsolete programs. K-12 and college students will be relieved of the drudgery caused by administrative burdens—and positioned to achieve success in a future career they love.
For Pennsylvania families, this moment represents the beginning of new opportunities to restore and increase their influence in their local school districts. “Local school districts have been forced for too long to adopt top-down values that do not reflect what parents want,” said Josue Sierra. “This executive order marks a return to common sense—where decisions are made locally by those who know our children best.”
Parental Rights and the Shift in Schools
We are also seeing the power of engagement at the local level. A growing number of school districts are passing common-sense policies in response to the significant number of parents showing up to the polls, voting for school board members who respect parental rights, and helping restore schools’ focus on academic excellence rather than divisive and harmful transgender ideology.
The fact is that a significant, bipartisan, and diverse majority of parents support these common-sense policies. The media often frames these policies as divisive, but in truth, they are a response to a unified district that wants schools to focus on academic success rather than pushing ideological agendas. Those who oppose these policies represent a tiny, vocal minority that seeks to coerce children into believing that if their personality doesn’t conform to stereotypes, they should mutilate their bodies to match those stereotypes. They seek to ignore biological reality and undermine parental rights. Every child deserves to be loved and cared for just as they are.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg applauded the decision, saying, “The key to improving education is empowering parents and students and reducing the role of Washington bureaucrats. Over the last four years, the nation has seen the results of empowering the Department of Education. … We now have a secretary of education, Linda McMahon, who understands the importance of getting the federal government out of the way. And I look forward to working alongside her to get the federal government off the backs of students, families, educators, and taxpayers.”
With this order, the White House is signaling not just a bureaucratic change, but a philosophical one: Education belongs to parents and communities, not distant federal agencies.
The shift away from federal control of education is a step in the right direction—but it is not the final step. The task ahead is great, but we are not without guidance. As we engage in our civic duties, let us commit to praying for our leaders—that they may govern with wisdom, justice, and a heart for righteousness. And let us take action, using our voices to influence laws and policies that honor God and serve the good of our neighbors.
PA Family CEO Michael Geer said, “We’re excited about the opportunity that is being presented to Pennsylvania. Now it’s up to Pennsylvania, its lawmakers, its governor, the school boards and the citizens of Pennsylvania to step up and say, okay, what can we do to improve Pennsylvania’s education and the wellbeing of our children?”
Showing up and speaking up matters. May we continue to steward our influence faithfully, always seeking to glorify God in every sphere of society.
