Executive Order 14242, Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities, issued by President Donald J. Trump on March 20, 2025, 90 Federal Register 58 (March 25, 2025)(Full Document). "This article was drafted with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model. All content has been reviewed and edited by Vernellia Randall to ensure accuracy and coherence."
Summary
On March 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14242, Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities. The order outlines a significant restructuring of federal involvement in education by directing the closure of the U.S. Department of Education and the transfer of its functions to state and local governments.
The order begins by asserting that federal involvement in education has not produced the intended improvements in student performance despite significant funding—approximately $200 billion in pandemic-related education spending and more than $60 billion in annual federal aid. It highlights student performance data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showing that 70% of eighth graders are below proficient in reading and 72% are below proficient in math. The Department of Education is criticized as an expensive bureaucracy that does not directly educate students, explicitly referring to its public relations office costing over $10 million annually.
Section 2 of the order instructs the Secretary of Education to take steps necessary to begin the process of closing the Department, ensuring uninterrupted delivery of educational services and legal compliance during the transition. It also mandates that no federal funds be used to support programs that promote "illegal discrimination in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion" or what it terms "gender ideology."
Section 3 provides that the order shall not be construed to impair the legal authority of any agency or executive department, and its implementation must comply with existing laws and appropriations. It further clarifies that the order does not create enforceable legal rights or benefits.
Racial Justice Analysis
Executive Order 14242, which seeks to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and devolve educational authority entirely to states and local communities, must be examined through the lens of the urgent and crucial racial history in the United States. While the order frames this shift as an effort to "empower" parents and local actors, it effectively removes the federal government's authority to ensure civil rights compliance in education—an authority that was hard-won in the aftermath of segregation, Jim Crow, and state-level resistance to racial equality.
1. State Resistance to Integration: A Historical Pattern
From the 1950s through the 1970s, many states—particularly in the South—resisted the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which declared state-sanctioned school segregation unconstitutional. Rather than comply, state legislatures and governors launched an aggressive "massive resistance" campaign to integration. Virginia, for example, passed laws to defund integrated schools. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus infamously deployed the National Guard to prevent nine Black students from entering Little Rock Central High School in 1957, prompting President Eisenhower to send federal troops. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, states used funding schemes, gerrymandered school zones, and new private segregation academies to avoid desegregation mandates.
The eventual progress toward school desegregation and civil rights enforcement occurred not because of state initiative, but because of persistent federal intervention through the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (later education) and the Department of Justice. Federal funding was conditioned on compliance with civil rights laws, and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) actively monitored and responded to disparities in school treatment, facilities, and access.
2. A Return to "Local Control" Without Safeguards
Executive Order 14242 revives the rhetoric of "local control" that was historically used to justify segregationist practices. The order gives states and local districts sweeping autonomy while eliminating federal mechanisms that ensured education equity after decades of legal segregation. Without federal oversight and enforcement, states that previously resisted integration may once again enact policies that reinforce segregation—this time under the guise of "parental rights" or "curriculum freedom." In recent years, some states have already passed laws restricting the teaching of race, history, and inequality, echoing the resistance of earlier decades.
The concern is not hypothetical. Data from the Civil Rights Project at UCLA shows that school segregation has been increasing since the 1990s, particularly for Black and Latino students. As federal courts have relaxed desegregation orders and Congress has underfunded equity initiatives, state and local decisions have led to racially and economically isolated schools. Executive Order 14242, by eliminating the federal Department of Education, could further accelerate these trends and remove even the possibility of federal intervention.
3. Segregation by Another Name
Though overt segregation is no longer legally sanctioned, many states have maintained de facto segregation through district zoning, school funding tied to local property taxes, and unequal disciplinary practices. With the federal government removed from education governance, and with civil rights offices defunded or dismantled, states would have wide latitude to pursue policies that recreate racial and economic exclusion. These could include:
- Reintroducing or expanding voucher programs that benefit predominantly white private schools.
- Redrawing district boundaries to segregate by race or income.
- Defunding or limiting programs that serve English language learners and immigrant communities.
- Restricting culturally responsive teaching or curricula that reflect students' racial and ethnic identities.
4. Federal Oversight: A Racial Justice Imperative
The federal role in education, while not perfect, has been a crucial tool for marginalized communities to challenge inequality. Federal investigations into racially discriminatory suspension rates, denial of access to AP courses, and unequal funding have prompted reforms in states that might not otherwise have acted. The executive Order 14242 effectively removes these protections, allowing states with histories of racial exclusion to govern education without meaningful checks.
This order, in essence, paves the way for a resegregation of American education. It allows states to implement policies without federal civil rights accountability, effectively silencing efforts to address historic and ongoing racial disparities. In doing so, it revives a dangerous chapter of American history where 'local control' was a euphemism for racial exclusion. The burden will once again fall on communities of color to fight for equal education—this time without the federal protections that were once their strongest ally.
Conclusion
Executive Order 14242 is not simply an administrative restructuring but a rollback of decades of civil rights progress. While it presents itself as a means to improve educational outcomes through local empowerment, it threatens to leave behind millions of students, particularly those from historically oppressed communities. It dismantles federal protections and programs that have helped combat systemic racism, and it removes a national framework that held states accountable for ensuring equity. The consequences are clear: greater racial and economic segregation, more profound disparities, and a national betrayal of the promise of equal education for all.
Advocacy: What Can We Do?
A. Contact Congress
Sample Letter to Congress:
Dear [Representative/Senator],
I am deeply concerned about Executive Order 14242, which calls for eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. This action would remove vital civil rights protections and funding safeguards that have historically protected marginalized students—especially Black, Latino, Native American, immigrant, and low-income children. I urge you to introduce or support legislation that blocks this executive order, protects federal education oversight, and guarantees student equity.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your District]
B. Use Social Media to Raise Awareness
- "Executive Order 14242 threatens to resegregate our schools and erase protections for marginalized students. Say NO to dismantling the Dept. of Education. #ProtectEducation #RacialJustice"
- "Removing federal civil rights oversight from education opens the door to renewed segregation and inequality. We can't go backward. #EducationEquity #EO14242"
- "Local control without federal accountability = racial exclusion by design. Speak out against Executive Order 14242. #PublicEd #CivilRightsNow
Suggested Next Steps for Community Response
- Host Community Teach-ins and Forums
- Educate families, educators, students, and allies about the history and importance of federal civil rights enforcement in education.
- Build Cross-State Coalitions
- Connect with organizations that center racial and educational justice to monitor and respond to state-level changes.
- Support Legal Challenges
- Work with civil rights lawyers and public interest firms to challenge the legality and impact of the executive order.
- Demand Transparency from School Boards and States
- Ensure that race-based and poverty-based data on discipline, academic access, and funding remain publicly available and disaggregated.
- Mobilize for State-Level Safeguards
- Even without federal mandates, advocate for state legislation and school board resolutions that maintain DEI commitments, civil rights enforcement, and inclusive education policies.
