Education, Department of, is an executive department of the United States government that seeks to promote educational excellence throughout the nation. It also works to ensure that all U.S. citizens have equal access to education. The secretary of education, a member of the president’s Cabinet, heads the department. The president appoints the secretary of education with the approval of the U.S. Senate. The department’s official website at http://www.ed.gov presents information on its activities.
Functions.
In the United States, the primary responsibility for public education lies with state governments and local school districts. As a result, the Department of Education does not establish schools or govern educational institutions. Instead, its responsibilities fall into six main categories: (1) providing leadership in addressing critical issues in education; (2) collecting data, overseeing research, and distributing research findings involving the nation’s schools; (3) helping students pay for their education beyond high school; (4) helping communities and schools meet the needs of students; (5) preparing students for employment; and (6) working to ensure equal educational opportunities for all Americans.
The department is concerned with schools at all levels, including preschools, elementary schools, high schools, and colleges and universities. It also focuses on technical training, adult education, and education and training for people with disabilities. In addition, the department administers programs to improve the skills of students whose native language is not English.
History.
In 1867, Congress set up a non-Cabinet federal agency called the Department of Education. Congress later renamed the agency the Bureau of Education and made it part of the Department of the Interior. Still later, it renamed the bureau the Office of Education and moved it to the Federal Security Agency. In 1953, the Office of Education became part of the newly created Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). In 1972, Congress set up the Education Division within HEW. The Education Division included the Office of Education, the National Institute of Education, the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, and the National Center for Education Statistics.
Congress created the Department of Education in 1979. The department began operating in 1980. It absorbed the Education Division of HEW, and HEW became the Department of Health and Human Services.
