US Dept of Education

The US Dept of Education is a government body that administers education, whether at the federal level.  It is a federal department that was once governed by the Health Department.  It is in fact the smallest federal department which has many varied roles. It is run by a governing secretary. 

The US Dept of Education consists of a series of committees that advise the secretary and department regarding what funding is needed, why it is needed, and how it can best get it.  They also advise the department about how to apply new privacy and civil rights laws to the educational system. 

State level departments of education or state education agencies are more actively responsible and involved in everyday education.  They are responsible for giving special technical assistance with educational issues, information and needed resources to both parents and schools.  Some examples of these are the Georgia Department of Education, New Jersey Department of Education and the New York City Department of Education.  Together, both state departments of education and the US Dept of Education work to provide the best resources and funding for every school child and the resources needed for teachers to better educate the children in their classrooms.

The US Dept of Education consists of varied sub-departments and internal offices, including:

Office of the Secretary – communications/outreach, planning, policy/evaluation development, general counsel, inspector general, education sciences institute, civil rights, chief financial officer (CFO), management, chief information officer, and legislative/congressional affairs offices

Office of the Deputy Secretary – elementary/secondary education (federal government initiatives for educational standards amongst Hispanic Americans), safe/drug-free schools, ESL acquisitions/language improvement/academic performance for ESL students, rehabilitation/special education, and improvement/innovation offices

Office of the Under Secretary – post-secondary education (federal initiatives – historically Afro-American colleges/universities and Native colleges/universities), student aid, and adult/vocational education offices.