Honor President Carter: Save and Improve the U.S. Department of Education!

President Jimmy Carter, a peacemaker and human rights activist, improved public schooling by establishing the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), removing it from its less significant place in Health and Human Services. Carter seemed keen to unite people; a USDOE aligns with that thinking.

As the nation mourns and celebrates President Carter, it’s ironic that the same USDOE Carter, a devout Christian, instituted is the cabinet the Trump administration and Project 2025 seek to end.

Americans own public schools where all children are welcome. Parents can attend school board meetings, affect change, and, in most cases, vote for school board members. They don’t own private schools; their choice is contingent on school administrators’ acceptance of their students, who can reject their students if inclined, charging consumers a fee. It’s also hard to establish accountability for many private schools.

America deserves a strong, free public school system with federal, state, and local ownership by the people that addresses equality. It makes more sense to fix the USDOE and improve it for America’s families.

A USDOE supports civil rights and the needs of the poor and students with disabilities, and it provides financial aid for students who need it and wish to attend college. The department also provides the country with research to better understand how to improve education for children.

The USDOE is also supposed to enforce laws surrounding student privacy. It does much more.

Instead of eliminating the USDOE, reviewing it for America’s students, teachers, and families that count on it for myriad services would be better. This would prevent the department from being eliminated, or services shuffled to the state or another department. States may not honor the USDOE mandates.

Carter faced strong opposition to the USDOE, mainly from Republicans. Many corporate reformers want to privatize public schools, stealing Americans’ ownership of their schools. Parents will eventually pay for education, and there will be more quality concerns.

Here’s some history about President Carter and public education.

President Carter attended Plains High School, which seems to have included elementary-age students. Many Democratic and Republican Presidents, including President Ronald Reagan, who later defeated President Carter, attended public schools, including Dixon High School.  

President Carter also once served as chairman of the Sumter County school board, where he advocated for integration.

Only one out of three presidents, the Carters, sent their school-age child, Amy, to public school. Other presidential children who attended public school included Quentin Roosevelt (Theodore Roosevelt) and Charlie Taft.

For those who believe in strong public schools, education should be controlled by the federal, state, and local governments, with a check on each level. Today, an education cabinet in Washington, D.C., is critical for public schooling to survive.

Even before the USDOE, the nation worked to build its education system. To learn more about this department, its history, and all it does to help children learn, check out the Federal Role in Education.

As the nation begins this new year and says goodbye to President Carter, let’s recommit to the free public school system that has been a staple of democracy, welcomed all children, and given hope to the poor.

Work to improve education for students and families and save our public schools. If you are unhappy with public education, find out how you can help make your local schools better.

As historians illuminate the good that President Jimmy Carter did as President and beyond, don’t ignore the USDOE. While not perfect, it has provided students with vital services and underscores the importance of a public school system for America, as schools open their doors to all children. Let’s fix it, not eliminate it.