A proposal to potentially shut down the U.S. Department of Education (ED) during a second Trump presidency was the focus of a webinar Tuesday evening hosted
Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy
The threat to shut down ED isn’t new, said Dr. James Earl Davis, a professor and endowed chair of education at Temple University.
“Since the inception of the US Department of Education in 1979 every Republican presidential candidate, either in the platform or in actions, has proposed the elimination of the department,” said Davis, who moderated the discussion.
As a federal agency, ED has had a long-standing role in advancing racial equity in education, added Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, the former dean of the College of Education at American University and the recently named CEO and president of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
“President [Jimmy] Carter was deeply committed to issues of racial equity and wanted the Department of Education to be a space where the Civil Rights Division would protect students, families, and communities,” said Holcomb-McCoy. “I believe there is a clear political connection behind these repeated efforts to diminish the Department. This isn’t a new issue—it has evolved over time, and we continue to see this political division play out.”
