An article fromHere’s the latest on the Education Department’s interagency agreements

The agency now has 14 partnerships it says reduce federal bureaucracy. But critics argue they add confusion as federal oversight is splintered.

Published June 18, 2026Kara Arundel Lead Reporter

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A U.S. flag and an Education Department flag fly outside the U.S. Department of Education on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong via Getty Images

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The U.S. Department of Education now has 14 interagency agreements with six other federal agencies, continuing the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency and give states more authority on fiscal and policy decisions. 

The four newest agreements, announced June 16, move some special education programming to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and certain civil rights, student privacy and desegregation activities to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The moves are part of the Trump Administration's Returning Education to the States campaign, which aims to break up the "education bureaucracy" in Washington, D.C., and give parents and districts more responsibility over K-12 education activities.

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Even though the Education Department is to retain statutory responsibility for the programs being outsourced, some stakeholders have pushed back against the changes. Critics say splitting K-12 programming among various federal agencies creates confusion as core federal education oversight is splintered. For example, programming for special education, elementary and secondary education and civil rights enforcement will now be shared among three federal agencies.

The Education Department, however, said the partnerships will bolster coordination among agencies to improve academic and career outcomes for students.

Interagency agreements at the U.S. Department of Education Between May 2025 and June 16, 2026, the Education Department announced 14 interagency agreements with six other federal agencies. (function()function e()window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e)if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0)var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source)var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a)e())();

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