U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon continues to defend the Trump administration's controversial plan to dismantle the Department of Education, arguing that eliminating bureaucracy is necessary to improve the American education system.

Speaking at the recent ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, McMahon stated, "We just can't keep going along doing what we're doing. Let's shake it up. Let's do something different, and it's not through bureaucracy in Washington." McMahon acknowledged that congressional approval would be required to fully close the agency, saying the department wants to work collaboratively with lawmakers.

The administration has already taken significant steps toward this goal, with President Trump signing an executive order in March 2025 directing McMahon to shut down the agency "to the maximum extent appropriate." Since then, the department has eliminated approximately half of its workforce, including over 100 union employees working in the Institute of Education Sciences, the department's research and data arm.

These cuts have sparked serious concerns about the department's ability to carry out essential functions, including data collection and accountability measures. The Institute of Education Sciences oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the Nation's Report Card, which tracks K-12 student achievement.

McMahon confirmed that the department is looking to revamp the Institute of Education Sciences, suggesting its growth had led to "mission creep." Despite the extensive cuts, she has emphasized that certain funding programs like Pell Grants would be preserved.

Critics, including educators and advocacy groups, have raised alarms about potential consequences of dismantling the department. Keri Rodrigues, president of National Parents Union, warned that "eliminating it would roll back decades of progress, leaving countless children behind in an education system that has historically failed the most marginalized."

In her defense of the administration's approach, McMahon has claimed that "teachers will be unshackled from burdensome regulations and paperwork, empowering them to get back to teaching basic subjects," and that "taxpayers will no longer be burdened with tens of billions of dollars of waste on progressive social experiments and obsolete programs."

The department has already made abrupt policy changes, including revoking previously granted extensions for schools to spend remaining COVID-19 relief funds. This decision has disrupted ongoing school infrastructure projects, further straining relationships with educators who report feeling blindsided by the department's actions.

As McMahon continues to implement what she has termed the department's "final mission," questions remain about how federal education responsibilities would be distributed if the department is dismantled, particularly regarding programs established by federal statute like Title I for low-income schools and services mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.