Department of Education Dismantling Harms Students, Families, and Public Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement from AACTE President and CEO Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, Ph.D.

(Nov. 19, 2025, Washington, D.C.) — The announcement yesterday that the Administration will transfer the management and oversight of billions of dollars in federal K-12 and higher education grants to the Department of Labor and other agencies was made with no consideration for what is in the best interest of students, families, schools, or communities.

This shift will have serious consequences, including:

• Destabilizing essential funding for low-income schools, educator preparation, services to English language learners, supports for low-income college students, and much more.
• Creating more bureaucracy, not less. Front-line program staff will be scattered across multiple federal agencies, while political appointees will remain at the Department of Education to preserve a façade of legal compliance with the law.
• Eliminating vital education expertise. Agencies such as the Department of Labor lack the deep, field-based knowledge required to administer education programs. This move will inevitably diminish the experienced federal workforce that schools, colleges, and grantees rely on daily.

This brazen move, made with no input from Congress, does not “return education to the states” since the programs the Department of Education administers cannot be eliminated without Congressional action. The programs will remain, but with weakened support, more red tape, and reduced effectiveness for schools, colleges, and ultimately, American taxpayers. Most importantly, America’s students will be harmed as vital services will be delayed, interrupted, or diminished — a fact that seemed to have been disregarded in this decision.

AACTE’s mission remains unwavering: to ensure that every child has access to well-prepared educators and excellent education.  Our member institutions are working tirelessly to meet the needs of today’s students, even as financial uncertainty becomes one of the greatest challenges facing the field.

As federal challenges continue to evolve, AACTE remains fully committed to serving as a trusted resource and advocate for all educator preparation programs across the nation. We will continue working closely with federal partners, higher education leaders, and state affiliates to protect essential investments in public education and ensure that every learner has access to excellent teaching.

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About AACTE

Established in 1948, AACTE is the leading voice in educator preparation. AACTE’s member institutions and programs prepare the greatest number of professional educators in the United States and its territories, including teachers, counselors, administrators, and college faculty. These professional educators are prepared for careers in PK-12 classrooms, colleges and universities, state and governmental agencies, policy institutes, and non-profit organizations. Learn more at aacte.org.