What You Need to Know
The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) has been at the forefront of protecting students with disabilities, defending the Department of Education, and uplifting our vision around the future of education.
The Department oversees the distribution of critical funding to states, leads data reporting on student learning and experiences, sponsors research guiding instructional best practices for millions of educators, and most importantly – protects the rights of students in schools, especially students with disabilities.
- 8 million students with disabilities eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including infants and toddlers receiving early intervention services, and an additional 1.5 million students eligible under Section 504.
- 26 million students from low-income backgrounds in urban, rural and suburban communities who rely on federal Title I funding to improve achievement.
- 6 states where more than 20% of the education budget comes from the federal government: Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
- 9.8 million students in rural schools who depend on federal support to bridge funding gaps in communities with more limited local tax bases.
For far too many students, especially at the intersection of race, poverty, and disability, the promise of quality education has not been realized. In defending the role of the Department, CLE does not defend maintaining the status quo for students across the nation. But gutting the federal agency tasked with protecting and advancing that promise is not the solution to the learning crisis happening for millions of children. The solution lies in a relentless commitment to quality and accountability, set by the Department in its priorities and investments, and modeled by all stakeholders in our education ecosystem.
- Students with disabilities are students first.
- Returning control to states is a fundamentally misleading notion. States already have control over their curriculum, instruction, state and local funding formulas, and many other core functions of education.
- The executive branch’s role in administering public education predates the creation of the Department of Education in the late 1970s, when the Department was carved out of a bigger agency, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
In the News
Private School Choice Is the Wrong Choice for Kids With Disabilities, Like Mine
The 74, June 20, 2025
“Coco: 'Big Beautiful Bill,' vouchers and program cuts undermine the rights of special ed students & the nation's commitment to helping them succeed.”
Big Education Issues at Stake as Supreme Court Hears Religious Charter Case
The 74, April 29, 2025
“There’s no individualization,” said Jennifer Coco, interim executive director of the Center for Learner Equity, a nonprofit that advocates for students with disabilities in charter schools. “Whenever something that was public becomes private with regards to children, rights under IDEA, by and large, do not follow.”
Isolation & Neglect: Disability Advocates Fear Return to a Bleak Past Under HHS
The 74, April 10, 2025
“Making some determinations that we just don’t think [some kids are] capable of learning. Even if the law says you can’t do that, we have enough examples in our history where decision-makers have a tendency to go back to that in a way that’s really harmful to kids.”
Hawaiʻi Is Failing Special Education Students. Federal Cuts Could Make It Worse
Honolulu Civil Beat, April 7, 2025
“While Trump has proposed shifting special education oversight from the U.S. DOE to the Department of Health and Human Services, the move would require an act of Congress.”
‘Really scared’: Parents of kids with disabilities confront Education Department chaos
States Newsroom, April 4, 2025
“Any move to separate the education of students with disabilities from the education of all students further pathologizes disability and is treating 15% of all the children in our public school buildings like they’re medical issues — they’re not. They are students who learn differently, a vast majority of whom could learn at the same grade level as their peers if they were provided appropriate instruction.”
A big change for kids with disabilities is underway, Trump says. Critics say it’s against the law
Chalkbeat, March 21, 2025
“Public schools have not always lived up to the ‘bold, significant’ promise in IDEA that every child should get a free and appropriate education. I don’t think that’s grounds to throw out the promise or to throw out the systems that make sure that promise is fulfilled.”
“This Is an Emergency.” How Can Philanthropy Respond to Trump’s Assault on K-12 Education?
Inside Philanthropy, March 14, 2025
“It would be great for philanthropy to serve as a catalyst for coalition-building to bring together nonprofit communities to help educate people and speak up for the core values that we hold dear.”
What the Trump Era Looks Like for Disabled Students in K-12
The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2025
“If I were to read the tea leaves, I think that we’re going to see a huge decrease of staffing and simply reducing the function of the department.”
Official Statements
The Center for Learner Equity Objects to the Tax Package Proposed by House Ways and Means Committee
The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) vehemently objects to the tax package proposed by the House Ways and Means Committee.
The Center for Learner Equity Objects to Moving the Education of Students With Disabilities to the Department of Health & Human Services
CLE vehemently objects to moving IDEA from the U.S. Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Center for Learner Equity Denounces President Trump’s Executive Order to Abolish the Department of Education
CLE denounces the Trump Administration’s Executive Order calling for the Secretary to facilitate the closure of the U.S. Department of Education.
The Center for Learner Equity Condemns the Administration’s Actions to Dismantle the Department of Education
CLE condemns the Trump Administration’s gutting of the Department of Education through its massive Reduction in Force of thousands of staff, and will continue to oppose any related federal actions that abolish its important role protecting the rights and preventing discrimination of students with disabilities.
Press Conferences & Briefings
Disability Organizations Condemn Inclusion of Voucher Bill in House Markup
May 13, 2025
CLE joined the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), the Council for Exceptional Children, and The Arc of the United States in condemning the inclusion of this budget reconciliation bill that will include a $20 billion proposal diverting public funds to private schools via the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA).
Disability Rights Virtual Press Conference
March 20, 2025
CLE joined the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), the Autism Society, the Council for Exceptional Children, the Arc, and the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) discussing the unprecedented actions threatening the civil rights of students, particularly those with disabilities. Disability rights leaders discussed the consequences of dismantling the Department of Education and offered actionable next steps for families, educators, advocates, and policymakers.
Policy Recommendations
Advocacy Resources
Join us by raising your voice.
See a few resources on behalf of our partners below:
- Summary: Investments and Reach of the U.S. Department of Education (State by State Annual Investments Included)
- Federal Education Funding & Related State Data for Selected Program
- Find EdCounsel’s review and assessment of the Continuing Resolution and the budget fight ongoing here.
- Deep Dive on FY2025 Funding and Updates on Executive Actions
- Deep Dive: How the Fiscal Year 2025 Long-term Continuing Resolution May Impact Federal Funding for the U.S. Department of Education