Trump Signs Executive Order 14242 Directing Closure of Department of Education

President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14242 on March 20, 2025, directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take "all necessary steps to facilitate the closure" of the Department of Education "to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law." Nine days earlier, on March 11, the administration announced layoffs cutting roughly 2,000 of the department''s 4,133 employees. The order cited National Assessment of Educational Progress data showing 70% of 8th graders below reading proficiency, though experts noted these scores predated current federal policies.