Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | Karl H. Schumacher/U.S. National Archives | Bettmann/Getty Images | Dennis Van Tine/Avalon/Getty Images | Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Last week, the Trump administration announced it was moving a raft of Congressionally required Education Department programs to other federal departments—effectively undermining Congress’s aim 46 years ago when it created the department.

It’s a move that has some scholars who’ve studied the history of federal education policy scratching their heads, including about how it relates to the administration’s mantra of “returning education to the states.” They don’t know exactly what the ramifications of this decoupling will be. Some say it could waste time or reduce efficiency—or worse.

They also see Tr

See Full Page