Student Debt Relief and DEI Initiatives Lead Biden’s Education Priorities

Just a day after President Joe Biden was sworn in, the Department of Education released its inaugural press statement under the new administration.

“At the request of President Biden, Acting Secretary Will Extend Pause of Federal Student Loan Payments,” declared the headline of the announcement dated January 21, 2021.

During Biden’s presidency, the Department of Education issued more statements regarding student loan forgiveness than any other subject, as per a review by The Epoch Times of 958 news releases, media advisories, and speech transcripts.

Earlier this year, the agency revealed that Biden, “through more than two dozen executive actions,” has facilitated $138 billion in student debt cancellation for 3.9 million borrowers.

However, state courts across the nation and the U.S. Supreme Court have determined that Biden exceeded his authority with these actions, leaving many borrowers potentially responsible for their student loans as the situation regarding repayment remains uncertain nearly four years after the president’s promise.

The Department of Education has also frequently communicated about updated Title IX regulations, allowing students to participate in sports based on their chosen gender rather than their biological sex.

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In the past four years, announcements related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been prevalent, including initiatives for multilingual classrooms, increased funding for historically black colleges and universities, Pride Month celebrations, “Transgender Day of Visibility,” and programs aimed at assisting incarcerated individuals with gaining access to Pell grants and reducing existing student loan debts.

“You reap what you sow, and it is abundantly clear that this administration’s Department of Education has been encouraging the promotion of far-left ideologies instead of supporting effective, evidence-based educational methods,” stated Rhyen Staley, a researcher at PDE, in a public statement on December 12. “The only beneficiaries of this extensive grant funding are universities, administrators, and DEI consultants, to the detriment of children’s education. It is imperative that we place children’s learning at the forefront of our education system rather than prioritizing race-based policies and DEI.”

Frequent announcements were also made regarding American Rescue Plan funding intended to aid schools nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, guidance for reopening schools, and reports identifying civil rights violations in educational institutions across the country.

Additionally, the Department of Education promoted initiatives for career and technical education, rural education programs, teacher recruitment, gun violence awareness, and social-emotional learning.

“I visited a high school last year where every student had a dedicated learning period for social-emotional well-being or mental health support included in their daily schedule. We need to see more of that,” stated Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a speech on January 27, 2022, outlining his educational vision for America, as per the agency’s website.

“Together, we must strive to achieve the president’s aim of doubling the number of school counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals within our educational institutions.”

“We cannot squander this opportunity—this moment to reset education—by reverting to old pre-pandemic strategies that failed to address the imbalances faced by Latino, Black, and Native students; students from low-income backgrounds; students in rural areas; students with disabilities; and students experiencing homelessness,” he remarked during the same address.

Recognition of high academic achievement with Blue Ribbon Schools or acknowledgment of lower performance levels in reading and math, as seen in the Nation’s Report Card, was less frequent but still highlighted by the Department.

On October 27, 2022, Cardona acknowledged significant declines in average test scores for reading and math among Grade 4 and Grade 8 students nationwide.

“I want to be unequivocal: The results are disheartening and unacceptable,” he stated. “They serve as a stark reminder of the pandemic’s effects on our learners and the critical work we must now undertake for our students.”

The Department of Education was founded in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter.

Its scope has always been limited: to guarantee equal educational opportunities; to disseminate research and information that assist state and local education agencies; to provide financial support for underfunded schools reliant on state and local property taxes; and to manage federal grant and loan programs aimed at higher education.

The federal agency is not authorized to dictate curriculum, graduation criteria, or qualifications for teachers and administrators. These decisions are made at state and local levels, where most school funding originates.

Recent responsibilities added to the Department of Education’s portfolio include special education funding, civil rights investigations, and guidance on technology and artificial intelligence education.

Despite this, all these functions—both new and longstanding—could likely be integrated into other federal agencies, yielding substantial taxpayer savings, asserts Jonathan Butcher, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation Center for Education Policy.

“Washington is essentially funding an administration to perform duties that state education departments should already be executing,” Butcher told The Epoch Times, noting that federal aid for impoverished districts constitutes less than 10 percent of per-student funding allocations.

“Abolishing the U.S. Department of Education would grant states and districts greater autonomy to make their own decisions.”

Given the unsuccessful attempts to provide student debt relief, ongoing low test scores, and the absence of support for male athletes competing in female sports, Butcher contended that the U.S. Department of Education “has not advanced policy in a meaningful manner.”

Butcher anticipates that the Department of Education under the next administration will focus on reducing unnecessary administrative costs, emphasizing academic improvement, empowering state and local education leaders, and advocating for universal school choice on a national scale.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Department of Education to request interviews with officials or responses to an inquiry via email, but no information was forthcoming.

Both the Brookings Institution and the Learning Institute Policy also did not reply to inquiries.

The National Education Association (NEA), a teachers’ union that endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, issued a public statement expressing dissatisfaction with the election results while celebrating the defeat of the referendum to eliminate the taxpayer-funded private school voucher program in Nebraska and the overwhelming rejection of school choice measures in Colorado and Kentucky.

David Ardrey, the interim executive director for the National Rural Education Association, which serves schools in small communities across 48 states, reported that the previous four years have been particularly difficult as many positions within the Department of Education aimed at serving rural districts remained vacant for extended periods, likely due to pandemic-related disruptions.

Regardless of which administration is in power, the uncertainty surrounding federal support for poor rural schools remains “business as usual.”

Regardless of how the Department of Education evolves, Ardrey’s primary concern is maintaining federal liaisons who assist district leaders in smaller communities in acquiring sufficient funding and guidance to sustain their schools.

“Students do not stop attending school because a president is transitioning,” he told The Epoch Times.