Today, the Department of Education announced four additional interagency agreements as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to return education to the states.
In typical fashion, the teachers’ unions and their political allies immediately attempted to spread fear, claiming that federal protections are being eliminated, a claim with no basis in reality. Instead, it’s yet another strategic step to reduce unnecessary federal bureaucracy, improve services, and move education decisions closer to the students, families, and communities they affect most.
The first agreement establishes a partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Some opponents immediately claimed that students with disabilities would lose protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Yet IDEA predates the Department of Education, and nothing in this agreement alters the rights and protections guaranteed under federal law.
Instead, the partnership allows agencies that already serve individuals with disabilities to work more effectively together. Families often navigate multiple programs across multiple agencies. Better coordination can improve services while reducing administrative barriers.
According to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, “Through our partnership with HHS, we will align federal services with the goal of strengthening academic outcomes and supporting individuals with disabilities so that they can achieve greater independence, key life skills, and meaningful employment.”
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. weighed in on the agreement between agencies: “Together, we will improve education and employment outcomes, uphold the rights of individuals with disabilities, and help every child reach their full potential.”
The second agreement strengthens collaboration between the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice. Protecting students from discrimination remains an essential federal responsibility, but effective enforcement does not require maintaining duplicative bureaucratic structures. By leveraging the expertise of both agencies, the partnership aims to strengthen enforcement while improving efficiency.
The third agreement focuses on student privacy and parental rights. At a time when parents across the country are demanding greater transparency and accountability from educational institutions, strengthening the enforcement of federal privacy laws should be welcomed. Parents have a right to access information about their children’s education and must be informed about decisions affecting their children.
The fourth agreement establishes a Training and Advisory Services Partnership with the Department of Justice related to school desegregation efforts and civil rights compliance. Rather than duplicating functions across multiple agencies, the agreement assigns technical assistance responsibilities to the agency with the greatest expertise in the field. Taken together, these agreements ensure that essential federal protections remain firmly in place while allowing agencies to work together rather than in silos.
The Trump administration continues to demonstrate that returning education to the states is not about rhetoric. Rather, it requires rethinking how government operates, eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy, and ensuring that agencies are organized to better serve students.
Despite claims from the opposition, none of these agreements eliminate federal protections. Students with disabilities remain protected under IDEA. Civil rights laws remain fully enforceable. Student privacy protections remain intact. Parents retain their rights under federal law.
What changes is that the federal government becomes more focused on its core responsibilities while creating greater flexibility for states and local leaders to innovate and respond to the needs of their communities.
For decades, layers of education bureaucracy have accumulated while student outcomes have remained horrifically low. Despite massive federal spending and increasing administrative complexity, student learning results remain far below where they should be. On average, only three out of 10 public school children are learning to read or do math at grade level. Additionally, parents are dissatisfied and continue to demand greater transparency and responsiveness from schools, while employers report a lack of workforce readiness from graduates.
The problem is not a lack of federal involvement or funding. The problem is that the system has historically prioritized bureaucracy over real results. But the Trump administration is working overtime to change course by taking decisive steps to downsize the Department of Education and return it to the states where it rightfully belongs.
Contrary to naysayers, returning education to the states does not mean abandoning students or weakening essential protections. It means acknowledging a fundamental reality: states, local communities, educators, and parents are far better positioned than federal bureaucrats to make decisions about education. It also requires a serious reorientation of government — one that prioritizes students over systems, directs resources away from bureaucracy and toward classrooms, and ensures responsibilities are carried out by the agencies best equipped to deliver results.
The future of American education is moving away from Washington, D.C., and back to the states, and ultimately closer to communities, classrooms, and parents. These agreements represent real structural reforms that restore balance, reduce duplication and inefficiency, and strengthen the ability of those closest to students to focus on what actually matters — equipping every child to learn, achieve, and thrive.
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Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a senior fellow at Discovery Institute, director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a senior fellow at Independent Women.
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