Six months in, how Trump has changed the Education Department.

Published July 25, 2025 at 6:26 AM EDT

A sign marks the location of the U.S. Department of Education headquarters building on June 20, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Federal education policy has seen a lot of changes since President Trump's inauguration. For example, the Department of Education itself, which Trump has vowed to close.

But that hasn't stopped the Trump administration from also wielding the Department's power. Most recently, by withholding billions of dollars for K-12 schools.

The Trump administration has drastically changed the federal government's role in education. What does that mean for American classrooms?

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