Department of Education

It is difficult to see how without funding and oversight from the DOE, K-12 wouldn't be majorly affected. Closing the department seems an extreme step. That being said, it is true that the department does need major reforms.

The Department of Education provides substantial funding for disadvantaged students, special education. English language instruction, school improvement, and education research.

Without benchmarking or oversight by DOE, I suspect that states and will become heterogeneous in educational policy. Some of these innovations will be productive, others profoundly counterproductive. Few will be evaluated, so it will be difficult to know which is which.

I do not have enough background information to make an informed decision concerning this question.

If this question means that the funding for Title 1 (for example) disappears, I read the evidence as implying that that would have real impacts on low income students and students in schools w many low income students.
-see background information here

Students and their parents are forward looking. They think about college access.

There is an opportunity cost for K-12 education, because survival of the Department of Education allows for potential new K-12 federal programs, which could be effective at improving K-12 outcomes.

At the very least, college opportunities provide incentives for younger students.

I don't know how to answer this question because it does not specify what would happen to the money if the Dept of Education were closed.. Would the post-secondary grants and loans continue (administered by a different department) or would they be eliminated?

There’s power that comes from communicating to states what you would like to see. That can affect the debate and what students are taught.

This would surely degrade the whole system of education, directly and indirectly in many ways. Especially for disadvantaged children.

The US Dept of Ed mostly implements policies legislated by Congress. The policies would just have to be implemented by another department if USDoEd were closed. However, USDoEd's data, statistical, evaluation, & innovation efforts are valuable despite costing very little.

If high school students see a decline in funding for college, they may instead take courses that prepare them for the job market immediately after graduation. Preparation for college depends on expectations of future college costs.

Closing it may even have a positive effect if it pushes more responsibility for education more locally.

How much flows to the average student? It is telling that the Dept of Ed does not break out its budget in an easy way to see how it spends. Of course, some K to 12 students will be adversely impacted--am assuming other mandated spending obligations continue elsewhere.

$30 billion or is spent on K-12 (about 12% of all K-12 funding).

It is absurd to think the quality and quantity of US college graduates does not impact K-12 education in multiple ways.

The bulk of DOE programs and expenditures target postsecondary education. However, through its administration of the No Child Left Behind or Every Student Succeeds or possible subsequent acts, the DOE can have a significant effect on K-12 education.

The Department has significant spending for poor and disabled K-12 students who by definition are not average, and for all I know it may have important programs that involve much spending.

Dept of Ed affects K-12 education through both rules and funding.

Closing DOE will likely have little impact on K-12 school budgets. But if closing DOE leads to a reduction in loans for college attendance, then doing so will impact the choices and opportunities available to K-12 students.

Depends whether the K-12 money would go away with the Department. In my school board experience, federal Title I money was important. Cutting that would matter. But not much will change if money stays the same under different administrative oversight.

I am sure that this is not a good question. Does whatever the DoE do besides grants and loans have an expected positive NPV? Dunno!