The Trump administration has proposed eliminating the U.S. Department of Education (USED), arguing that federal investments in public schools have failed. While potentially detrimental to all students, removing the USED is doubly threatening to English learners, migrant students, and students with disabilities because of programmatic funding and support designed for these students. This rapid-response research grant will review relevant research to articulate the goals and roles of federally funded programs and the extent to which national programs such as Title I, IDEA, and Title III are successful in reducing inequality. The Education Law Center (ELC), a national nonprofit that uses litigation, research, strategic partnerships, and advocacy to advance safe and just learning environments for all students, will partner with Research for Action and Evidence Use in Action. The partnership aims to influence key decision makers to protect education programs that have a research-supported impact of reducing educational inequalities, and to encourage programs are implemented in a manner that maximizes impact. Key research products include a memo describing how USED staffing and infrastructure affect education opportunity and a research synthesis of Title 1, IDEA, and Title III program outcomes. ELC will then use these products to inform a full policy brief, a social media toolkit, including short videos, and a PowerPoint presentation that they will use at strategic webinars and congressional briefings. To facilitate deeper learning, all three partners will engage in field-oriented feedback sessions to further sharpen the advocacy tools.
The Education Law Center, Research for Action, and Evidence Use in Action will partner to examine what role the U.S. Department of Education has played in the delivery of education opportunity.
