The United States Secretary of Education heads the Department of Education, overseeing education matters from kindergarten to universities. The department is controversial, and some conservatives want it dismantled. The secretary proposes policies and maintains education statistics, and the department provides financial assistance and deals with special education, English language learners, migrant education, and civil rights.
The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education, the federal agency that oversees education matters in the United States, from kindergarten to colleges and universities. Since education in the United States is not highly centralized, as it is in many other nations, the scope of the secretary’s duties and powers is quite limited, and the department itself is actually quite controversial. Some conservatives believe the Department of Education represents unreasonable meddling by the federal government and would like to see it dismantled.
The ED, as it is known colloquially, was founded in 1979 when President Jimmy Carter split the then Department of Health, Education and Welfare into two separate agencies, creating two cabinet-level positions: Secretary of Education of the United States and the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. ED is the smallest cabinet-level agency, with far fewer employees and programs than other agencies of the same rank in government.
Each new president is responsible for appointing a Secretary of Education, with the president typically choosing someone who will support his goals for American education. Selection is subject to a Senate confirmation hearing, which allows Senators and the people of the United States by extension the ability to reject candidates who may be perceived as unsuitable. As a cabinet-level official, the secretary of education is in line for succession to the presidency of the United States, although as the position is ranked sixteenth, it is unlikely that a secretary of education will ever be forced into office .
As a member of the presidential cabinet, the United States Secretary of Education is responsible for discussing education-related policy issues with the president and for proposing policies that will shape American education. He also briefs the president on issues facing the American education system, ranging from dropout rates to changing demographics in US colleges.
One of the Department of Education’s most important roles is maintaining education statistics so that this data can be used to assess the state of education in the country and to identify areas that need improvement. The ED is also home to the Department of Federal Student Aid, which provides financial assistance to college students, along with departments dealing with things like special education, English language learners, migrant education, and civil rights in the field of instruction.
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