President Donald Trump’s bold plan to eliminate the Department of Education’s bureaucracy and return education policies to the state represents a long-lasting fix that can shape the future of American learning for parents, educators and communities.

For decades, the American education system has been bound by federal bureaucracy and inefficiency. Founded in 1979, the US Department of Education expanded its authority far beyond its original intentions, imposing a top-down obligation to reduce innovation and burdens in unnecessary deficits.

Education is not a one-size-fits-all effort. Something useful to one student may not be useful to another. (Related: American teaser on the cliff of “radical education reform” after Trump shuts the lights at Ed)

This is why fourth and eighth grade reading scores have been successful since the department began tracking in the early 1990s despite decades of existence and spending. By disbanding the department, we return control to people who are directly invested in student success, including parents, teachers, state and local policymakers.

State-led education reforms have already demonstrated significant results.

For example, the West Virginia Hope Scholarship Program, launched in 2022 as the country’s first universal educational freedom program, is expected to be used by 60,000 students during the 2026-2027 academic year. Other great examples include the Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, which currently has over 220,000 students, and the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Program, which currently benefits over 83,000 students.

The success of these programs has given each of these states Top 10 Rankings in the 2025 State Education Freedom Index of the American Legislative Exchange Council.

What began in West Virginia is now a reality in 15 states, and is now a reality in many more states in the future. Already this year, Tennessee, Idaho and Wyoming have passed the Universal Education Freedom Program. Lawmakers from Texas, South Carolina and New Hampshire are continuing to push for universal education freedom again this year.

By the end of 2025, six more states will be able to participate in this incredible movement to empower parents and ensure that all American students have access to the learning environment that best suits their needs.

Clearly, the state is demonstrating that it is ready for a new executive order. But critics of President Trump’s plan claim it will remove funds from schools and dismantle important programs.

You cannot go far from the truth. In reality, the dollars in federal education will not disappear. They are assigned more effectively. Programs currently managed by the Ministry of Education will be transferred to other institutions suitable for managing them. By eliminating bureaucratic waste, more federal dollars reach students, teachers and schools.

For example, programs related to student nutrition are overseen by the Department of Agriculture. Labor training initiatives can be administered by the Ministry of Labor, while special education programs can be administered by the Ministry of Health and Human Services.

This approach reduces unnecessary management costs and streamlines government operations while ensuring critical services continue as they are.

By dramatically reducing the Department of Education, our education system is more responsive, efficient and tailored to the needs of American students. In conjunction with his executive order to expand educational opportunities for American families, President Trump and Secretary McMahon, directing more federal funds to support state education freedom, have a clear plan to ensure that education policies are created by people who best understand the needs of their communities, not distant bureaucrats in Washington.

It’s time to embrace a future in which families, not federal agencies, have the ultimate decision-making power in children’s education. The state demonstrates its ability to lead education. They are not only ready for this, they want it.

Lisa B. Nelson is the CEO of the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Patricia Rucker is a West Virginia Senator and national chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council.

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