WASHINGTON () President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.

Last week, the department announced that nearly half its workforce would be laid off starting March 21. Trump has argued that eliminating the department and shifting education authority to the states would improve the U.S. school system’s global ranking.

“The dream is we’re going to move the Department of Education. We’re going to move education into the states, so that the states, instead of bureaucrats working in Washington … can run education,” Trump said.

Trump views the department as wasteful and has claimed it’s been overtaken by “radicals.”

The executive order would grant states significant power over education, and concern over what that would look like has mounted.

Key policies in jeopardy if Education Department is cut

More than 80% of school-age children, about 49 million students, attend traditional public schools that rely heavily on federal assistance.

About 10 to 14% of public schools’ budgets are allocated to programs and staff that oversee critical policies, such as Title 1, anti-discrimination measures, assistance for low-income students, free lunches, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which ensures protections for students with disabilities.

Collages brace for grants, aid losses

Colleges and universities are preparing for the potential loss of critical grants and aid.

Additionally, there is some concern over the oversight of for-profit colleges and Pell Grants and a question of how $1.6 trillion in federal student loans could be impacted.

Curriculum and learning standards would likely not be affected, since those are generally handled at state and local levels.

GOP: US is lagging in student scores 

While Trump’s executive order is expected Thursday, Congress would need to authorize the elimination of the department.

Republicans have pointed to issues such as declining test scores as justification for significant changes.

National test scores have indicated students are lacking fundamental skills.

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, conducted every two years, revealed average math scores for eighth graders remained unchanged from 2022, but a third scored below “basic” levels in reading the highest number in the assessment’s history.

Teachers slam potential dismantling of Education Department

The American Federation of Teachers has argued the cuts “will gut the agency and its ability to support students, throwing federal education programs into chaos across the country.”

Nearly half of the Education Department’s staff have received notice that their jobs are at risk, and those layoffs are being challenged in court.