The Department of Education must stay: Knowledge is for all

The U.S. Congress recently confirmed Linda McMahon as Secretary of the Department of Education (DOE), on the same day that teacher unions across the country initiated “clap ins” at the start of the school day to applaud students and protest budget cuts President Donald Trump has made to the DOE.

With more than $1 billion in cuts of contracts, layoffs, and recent offers to pay DOE employees approximately $25,000 to quit, the efforts to dismantle the department, which sets policies, manages programs, and coordinates federal assistance for schooling is devastating.

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The March deadline to pass the federal budget is near and the plan includes $330 billion in cuts by 2035 by the House Education and Workforce Committee, which has oversight on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary school spending.

Recently, all online applications on the Federal Student Aid Website for Income-Driven Repayment plans and loan consolidation on the DOE website were closed.

As a threat to the overall elimination of the DOE remains, its historic mission to promote equal access and uphold laws that prohibit discrimination in federal-funded programs may disintegrate.

America is developing into a caste system that divides people into groups, where those at the top hold more power and influence than those at the bottom. The gap between classes is growing even more expansive with the systematic removal of knowledge attainment from our society.

Coming from the South Side of Chicago, I’ve seen firsthand how the lack of access to higher education and resources in disadvantaged communities has contributed to increased incarceration rates in the community. However, having access to higher education through my military service has opened doors to opportunities, which now has me serving as the executive director of a nonprofit.

For generations, Americans have relied on education—from early education and K-12 education to higher education and training programs—to qualify for better-paying jobs and careers. These opportunities have allowed individuals to uplift themselves and build wealth within their families and communities.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows the correlation between income and education, with the median earnings for all education levels being $54,200, $66,600 for those with a bachelor’s degree, and $80,200 for people with a master’s degree or higher.

The number of Americans earning degrees is higher than ever. According to the NCES, the U.S. average adjusted public high school graduation rate in 2022 was 87 percent, seven percentage points higher than a decade earlier.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that from 2011 to 2021, the percentage of people aged 25 and older who had completed a bachelor's degree or higher had increased by 7.5 percentage points—going from 30.4% to 37.9%. The same report shows there were 24.1 million Americans over 25 whose highest degree was a master’s degree in 2021, a 50% increase within ten years, and there were 4.7 million people with doctoral degrees, an increase of 54.5%.

All of that will change.

Eliminating the Department of Education will only deepen the class divide, as those who rely heavily on the department’s support would be adversely affected. Meanwhile, those who can afford higher education would likely gain an advantage in securing better-paying jobs and careers.

This raises concerns about the removal of knowledge in society, where opinions or alternate realities become accepted as facts, which leaves those without the ability to discern truth from falsehood trapped in a society where they can no longer elevate their quality of life.

Systemic barriers are already in place that make it difficult for a person to rise from one class to another, but without access to knowledge and education, that process becomes nearly impossible.

If the U.S. Department of Education is dismantled, history could repeat itself, as seen in societies where limited access to education allowed misinformation, propaganda, and authoritarian control to take hold.

In the 2022 book, The Triumph of Emptiness: Consumption, Higher Education, and Work Organization, Swedish business management scholar Mats Alvesson writes, “Current and future working life is permeated by views of a knowledge economy and a knowledge-intensive society, a greater degree of professionalization, and an emphasis on leadership in the creation of effective organizations.”

Without a system to ensure quality education, critical thinking skills, and access to accurate information, people become more vulnerable to manipulation, fear-driven rhetoric, and social division.

History has shown that uneducated populations in Nazi Germany, Rwanda, and other oppressive regimes were easily swayed by propaganda, leading to political extremism, racial scapegoating, and the decline of democratic values. If education, knowledge, and critical thinking are no longer prioritized, the U.S. could follow a similar path, where misinformation replaces truth and the public becomes easier to control.

A weakened education system would also widen social and economic gaps, where only the wealthy can afford quality schooling while disadvantaged communities fall further behind. And it affects the entire U.S. economy.

A new Pearson report on the skills and education gap in this country shows that “inefficient career transitions and related learning gaps are costing the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion annually.”

This growing knowledge gap would allow powerful groups to shape public perception, distort history, and justify policies that harm certain populations.

Without the ability to think critically, challenge authority, or seek reliable information, people could be easily manipulated into supporting harmful policies, much like in past oppressive regimes.

As a society, it is essential not to allow history to repeat itself.

“Education is something positive that leads to higher qualifications and is needed to a greater and greater extent in both individuals and society,” Alvesson writes.

Educators, leaders, advocates, students, faculty, citizens, and elected officials need to stand against the deliberate push to deepen class divisions through denial of education access, which enriches the wealthy while stripping away opportunities and access for everyone else.

Policymakers need to know that eliminating the Department of Education is not an acceptable option and they must oppose any efforts to abolish it.

All Americans need to focus on educating themselves by seeking reliable information, protecting the value of knowledge, and working to create a more informed society.

Khalil Halim serves as Executive Director of Second Chance Center in Aurora, CO., and is a Public Voices Fellow of Transformative Justice with The Oped Project.