Education

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to “do away” with the Department of Education, cutting funding, employment and more.

While big questions about the agency’s future remain unanswered, here is everything to know about its history, and some of the plans conservatives have pushed for dismantling it.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to close the Department of Education.

As President Donald Trump signs an executive order aimed at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, many are asking what that might mean for schools, students and those with student loans.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department.

President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Education Department.

Homeschooling in Illinois could look a little different if a law being considered by legislators moves forward.

For parents of kids with disabilities, advocating for their child can be complicated, time-consuming — and expensive.

With nearly half of the federal employees from the U.S. Department of Education laid off this week and the Trump administration vowing to close the department altogether, there are potential impacts to Illinois cities and schools. NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern reports.

With nearly half of the federal employees from the U.S. Department of Education laid off this week and the Trump administration vowing to close the department altogether, there are potential impacts to Illinois cities and schools.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration Thursday over its mass firings at the Department of Education.

Massive layoffs initiated this week at the Education Department could hamstring the federal government’s efforts to assist students with disabilities, former officials and education experts said, citing blows to the agency’s civil rights and research divisions.  On Tuesday, the department began laying off around 1,300 employees, cutting nearly half the staff in its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and over 100 from the Institute...

The lawsuit claims the layoffs are so severe that the department “can no longer function, and cannot comply with its statutory requirements.”

Massive layoffs hit the Education Department after President Trump vowed to close it down.

The Department of Education distributes billions in federal money to colleges and schools and manages the federal student loan portfolio. Closing the department would mean redistributing each of those duties to another agency.

The Trump administration announced a dramatic funding cut on Friday, saying it would cut federal grants and contracts worth $400 million from Columbia University for “inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”

While some see the Department of Education as vital to ensure education access and quality, others say it’s a bureaucracy that must be abolished.

Already, the Trump administration has started overhauling much of the Department of Education’s work. But what exactly does the agency do, and what would happen if it closes?

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has proposed a statewide ban on cellphones in classrooms, an idea that is rapidly gaining traction nationally.

In his State of the State address, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced legislation that will require schools to ban the use of cell phones during classroom instruction.