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--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Welcome to Today Explained. I'm Sean Rameswaram.
--:-- Noel King: And I'm Noel King.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Today, we're talking about the Department of Education and whether it should exist. Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, has introduced a bill to abolish the Department of Education.
--:-- Noel King: That's right. And it's not the first time this idea has been floated. But what's interesting is that this time, it's not just a fringe idea. It's actually a serious proposal with a powerful ally in Senator Rounds.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's right. And we're going to talk about what this means for education in America.
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--:-- Noel King: Support for Today Explained comes from Saks Fifth Avenue. Fall is here, and you might be thinking about updating your wardrobe.
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--:-- Sean Rameswaram: This message is brought to you by Apple Card. With Apple Card, you can earn daily cash on everything you buy, including 3% back on everything at Apple.
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--:-- Noel King: Today, we're joined by Erica Meltzer, the national editor at Chalkbeat. Erica, thanks for being on the show.
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Noel King: So, for our listeners who might not be familiar, what is the Department of Education, and what does it do?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: The Department of Education is a cabinet-level federal agency that provides support to schools. They oversee Title I funding, which provides billions of dollars to high-poverty schools. They provide information about best practices and a certain amount of oversight of low-performing schools. They also run financial aid programs for higher education. And they're responsible for civil rights enforcement.
--:-- Noel King: That's a lot of responsibilities. What do we know about Linda McMahon, Donald Trump's pick for education secretary?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Well, she doesn't have a lot of education experience. She did serve briefly on the Connecticut State Board of Education in 2009 and 2010, and she served on the board of Sacred Heart University, which is a private Roman Catholic university. But she's primarily known as one of the founders of WWE, the wrestling entertainment empire that she founded with her husband, Vince McMahon.
--:-- Noel King: That's right. And it's worth noting that Linda McMahon has been a big supporter of Donald Trump and has been involved in his administration in various ways.
--:-- Erica Meltzer: That's right. She served in his first administration at the head of the Small Business Administration, and she's also involved in a think tank and a super PAC that spent a lot of money to help get Donald Trump elected.
--:-- Noel King: Okay, so what are Donald Trump's priorities when it comes to education?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: It's worth kind of saying at the outset that education has not actually been a huge part of his campaign. But he has talked a lot about abolishing the Department of Education and sending all education and education work and needs back to the states.
--:-- Noel King: And what about getting "woke" out of education? What does that mean?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: It's not entirely clear what that means or what that would look like. But he's talked about promoting a more patriotic civics education, teaching students to love their country, not to hate their country like they're taught right now.
--:-- Noel King: Okay, so what about the Department of Education's role in civil rights enforcement? How does that fit into this conversation?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: The Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that students' civil rights are protected at school. And under the Biden administration, Title IX protections on the basis of gender identity were made clearer and more explicit.
--:-- Noel King: And what about the push for private school choice? How does that fit into this conversation?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Linda McMahon has been an advocate for school choice, and the organization she's involved with has been pushing for more vouchers for school choice and giving parents more say over curriculum.
--:-- Noel King: Okay, so what can we expect to hear during Linda McMahon's Senate confirmation?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: I expect that we'll hear a lot of questions about her experience or lack thereof. And I also expect that the lawsuit against WWE, which alleges that teenage boys were recruited to work as ring boys and experienced sexual abuse, will come up in her confirmation hearing.
--:-- Noel King: Okay, so what are the chances that Linda McMahon will be able to get some of these priorities accomplished?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: I think there are a few things that could be done at an administrative level, but getting rid of the Department of Education would require an act of Congress, and I'm not sure that there's enough support among Republicans for that.
--:-- Noel King: Okay, so let's talk about the history of the Department of Education. Why has this idea of abolishing the Department of Education been around for so long?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Well, the Department of Education was founded following a campaign promise to a big teachers union by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. And since then, there have been various attempts to abolish it or reduce its role.
--:-- Noel King: And what about the Republican argument against the Department of Education? How has that evolved over time?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Well, Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, and he promised to get rid of the Department of Education. And under George W. Bush, there was a push for more accountability in schools, but that ultimately didn't work out as planned.
--:-- Noel King: Okay, so what about the current state of the Department of Education? What are some of the challenges it's facing?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Well, the Department of Education has faced various challenges over the years, including the FAFSA debacle, which was a major mess-up with the federal financial aid form.
--:-- Noel King: And what about the idea of abolishing the Department of Education? Is that still a viable option?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: I think it's possible that we could see a diminished role for the Department of Education, but abolishing it entirely would be a much more difficult task.
--:-- Noel King: Okay, thanks for joining us, Erica.
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- Noel King: Support for Today Explained comes from Adio. Adio is an AI-native customer relationship management system built specifically for the next era of companies.
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--:-- Noel King: And with Adio, you can get 15% off your first year by visiting addio.com slash todayexplained.
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--:-- Noel King: This message is brought to you by Life Kit, the podcast from NPR.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's right. Life Kit offers real stories about common issues like relationships, finances, parenting, and your career.
--:-- Noel King: And with Life Kit, you can get strategies to help you make meaningful, sustainable change in your life.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: So why not give Life Kit a try? Visit NPR.org to learn more.
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--:-- Noel King: Today Explained is back with Chalkbeat's Erica Meltzer, who reminds us that the Department of Education was founded following a campaign promise to a big teachers union by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.
--:-- Erica Meltzer: That's right. And since then, there have been various attempts to abolish it or reduce its role.
--:-- Noel King: And what about the Republican argument against the Department of Education? How has that evolved over time?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Well, Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, and he promised to get rid of the Department of Education.
--:-- Noel King: And what about the current state of the Department of Education? What are some of the challenges it's facing?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Well, the Department of Education has faced various challenges over the years, including the FAFSA debacle.
--:-- Noel King: And what about the idea of abolishing the Department of Education? Is that still a viable option?
--:-- Erica Meltzer: I think it's possible that we could see a diminished role for the Department of Education, but abolishing it entirely would be a much more difficult task.
--:-- Noel King: Okay, thanks for joining us, Erica.
--:-- Erica Meltzer: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- Noel King: Support for Today Explained comes from Nike.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's right. Nike knows winning isn't always done in front of cheering crowds.
--:-- Noel King: Sometimes winning happens in your driveway, on a quiet street at the end of your longest run, or on the blacktop of a pickup game.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Nike is here for all of the wins, big or small.
--:-- Noel King: Visit nike.com to learn more.
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--:-- Noel King: That's it for today's show. Thanks for listening.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And thanks to our guests, Erica Meltzer from Chalkbeat.
--:-- Noel King: If you want to support Today Explained, you can become a Vox Member today by visiting vox.com/members.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And if you want to hear more episodes like this one, be sure to subscribe to Today Explained on your favorite podcast app.
--:-- Noel King: Thanks for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow.
