蜜桃影视

The most important thing to understand about the to eliminate the Departments of Education and Labor and merge their existing functions into a new 鈥淒epartment of Education and the Workforce鈥� is not that it鈥檚 a decades-old idea touted, but never seriously pursued, by congressional conservatives. Even though it is that.

Soon after gaining control of both the House and Senate in 1994, congressional Republicans, led by Newt Gingrich, , but never, tellingly, brought them up for a vote. (There鈥檚 little chance that things will be any different this time around; the U.S. Department of Education , especially under the current secretary, but voters nonetheless have consistently ).

And no, the most important thing to understand about the proposal also isn鈥檛 that it鈥檚 bad policy. Even though it鈥檚 that as well. Back in 2016, the Center for American Progress Action Fund of what President Donald Trump鈥檚 proposal to eliminate the Education Department would mean for students, from pre-K through college. Even if you don鈥檛 believe that all of those things would necessarily happen under the plan the White House rolled out last week 鈥� and, ostensibly, most of them would not 鈥� the report underscores what鈥檚 at stake in deprioritizing many of the important functions the department serves now.

And no, the proposal doesn鈥檛 make any more sense politically than it does substantively, especially for conservatives. Republicans have been gunning for the Education Department since President Jimmy Carter spearheaded its creation in 1979, in part because they perceived it as a giveaway to the national teachers unions. There is truth to that, although the actual story is somewhat more nuanced. But regardless, if one considers organized labor a political opponent on education, why give them home court advantage by merging Education with Labor?

No, the most important thing to understand about Trump鈥檚 bid to merge Education and Labor is that it鈥檚 political theater with two purposes: Appeal to his base and distract everyone else from more salient, and urgent, issues. Because the truth is that the dismantling of the Education Department is well underway, especially when it comes to what historically has been its most important mission: leveling the playing field for those being hurt or shortchanged by state and local policymakers.

While most everyone yesterday, like the , was diving down to pick up the next shiny thing, went largely unnoticed. Their findings, which the department does not dispute, reveal that, regardless of the area of complaint 鈥� be it around race, English language learners, students with disabilities, sexual harassment, or violence 鈥� plaintiffs are increasingly losing out to the very public education system in which this administration says it otherwise has so little faith.

Specifically, ProPublica reported that:

鈼徛�鈥淯nder former President Obama, 51 percent of cases that took more than 180 days culminated in findings of civil rights violations, or corrective changes. Under the Trump administration, that rate has dropped to 35 percent.

鈼徛�聽鈥�70 percent of complaints of discrimination against students with limited proficiency in the English language were upheld under Obama, compared to 52 percent under the current administration.

鈼徛�鈥淭he proportion of complaints substantiated regarding the individualized educational needs of students with disabilities has dropped from 45 percent to 34 percent; regarding sexual harassment and violence, from 41 percent to 31 percent; and regarding racial harassment, from 31 percent to 21 percent.鈥�

Despite the fact that the Education Department already has far fewer employees than any other government agency, it has shed more than 500 workers 鈥� 13 percent of its total staff 鈥� since Trump assumed office a mere 18 months ago. And some of the biggest losses are concentrated in the Office for Civil Rights, which has lost nearly 70 staffers, or about 11 percent of its workforce.

Congress tried to send a message to the department by increasing OCR鈥橲 2018 budget back in March. But it鈥檚 questionable whether any level of staffing will make a difference at the department given not just a lack of concern about civil rights issues but what seems to be willful ignorance, as most recently displayed in over the rights of immigrant students 鈥� rights she only begrudgingly conceded after a string of crystal-clear legal decisions, Department of Homeland Security policy clarifications, and the happenstance of having to testify at back-to-back congressional hearings.

It鈥檚 tough for education advocates to stay focused at a time like this, existing in a climate where the outrageous and ridiculous have become the daily norm. It takes some discipline, and even this author couldn鈥檛 resist the opportunity to knock the 鈥淒epartment of Education and the Workforce鈥� around just a little.

But we must find a way to see beyond the day鈥檚 shiny new distraction. Because what鈥檚 most imperative for all those who care about what has always been the Education Department鈥檚 most important mission, the equal opportunity of every child to receive a fair and appropriate public education, is to remain focused and to work together in the face of our most significant challenges in half a century.

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