Education Shifts: Federal Power Returns to States Under New Interagency Deals

Welcome to your weekly update on the U.S. Department of Education. This week, the biggest headline is the Department's announcement of two new interagency agreements with the State Department and HHS to dismantle federal bureaucracy and shift education functions back to states, as detailed in their official press release. Secretary Linda McMahon called it a practical step, saying, "As we continue to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states, our new partnerships... represent greater efficiency and stronger coordination." These moves hand school safety and disaster prep to HHS, which already runs related programs, and route foreign gift data from universities to national security experts. Key developments include threats to withhold funds from districts running DEIA programs deemed discriminatory, per American Progress reports, and pushes for ESSA waivers that could let states skip accountability testing, as Indiana has requested. On higher ed, proposed rules aim to simplify student loans and expand TRIO access to undocumented high schoolers, with comments due soon after Federal Register publication. A fresh Title IX probe targets a Wisconsin district over restroom policies. For American citizens, this means streamlined aid but potential chaos in school safety and civil rights enforcement, hitting families in under-resourced areas hardest. Businesses and orgs face less red tape but funding risks for diversity initiatives. States and locals brace for delays as ED hollows out, per New America analysis, forcing them to fill gaps in migrant ed and English learner support. International ties? Minimal so far, but State partnerships could safeguard against foreign influence in colleges. Data point: These shifts involve hundreds of millions in school safety grants now under HHS. Watch for accreditation overhauls via upcoming negotiated rulemaking, effective mid-2026, and more outsourcing. Citizens, submit comments on proposed regs at regulations.gov and contact reps on waivers. Stay tuned for grant competitions on school choice. Next, track ESSA waiver approvals and Title IX probes. For more, visit ed.gov/newsroom. Thanks for tuning in—subscribe now! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.