You’ve probably heard the title "Secretary of Education" tossed around during heated cable news debates or saw it scrolling through your feed after a big student loan announcement. It sounds official. It sounds powerful. But if you sit down and try to map out what the head of the Department of Education actually does on a Tuesday morning, things get murky fast.
Most people assume this person is the "Principal of America." They aren't. Not even close.
In the United States, education is a local game. Your property taxes pay for the heaters in the elementary school down the street. Your local school board decides which books are in the library. So, why does the federal government even have a boss for education? Honestly, the role is part banker, part bully pulpit, and part civil rights enforcer. It’s a job that exists at the weird intersection of massive federal budgets and the hyper-local reality of a classroom in rural Ohio or downtown Los Angeles.
The Power of the Purse (and the Red Tape)
The federal government provides about 8% to 10% of the funding for K-12 schools. That doesn't sound like much, right? But for many struggling districts, that 10% is the difference between having a music program and cutting the arts entirely. This is where the head of the Department of Education wields their real power.
They oversee a budget that regularly clears $70 billion.
When a Secretary wants to change how schools operate, they don’t usually pass a law. They use "competitive grants." Think of it like a massive carrot on a stick. Programs like "Race to the Top" under the Obama administration or "No Child Left Behind" under George W. Bush weren't just suggestions. They were deals. "If you want this extra billion dollars for your state, you have to adopt these specific standards or testing protocols." It works. States like money, and the Secretary knows it.
Then there is the student loan mountain.
The Department of Education is essentially one of the largest banks in the world. We are talking over $1.6 trillion in outstanding federal student debt. The Secretary is the person at the top of that pyramid. They decide how those loans are serviced, which companies get the contracts to collect your payments, and how programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) are managed. When things go wrong—like the FAFSA rollout delays that frustrated millions of families in 2024—the buck stops exactly at the Secretary's desk.
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Title IX and the Civil Rights Shield
Beyond the money, the head of the Department of Education is the chief guardian of civil rights in schools. This happens through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
If a student is being discriminated against because of their race, disability, or sex, the Department steps in. This is where the job gets incredibly political. Take Title IX, for example. It’s a short law from 1972 that basically says you can't discriminate based on sex in education. Simple? No.
Every administration changes the "guidance" on how to interpret that law. One Secretary might focus heavily on how colleges handle sexual assault cases on campus. The next might shift the focus toward transgender students' rights to use specific bathrooms or play on sports teams. Because these are "interpretations" and not new laws passed by Congress, they can flip-flop every four to eight years. It creates a massive amount of whiplash for school administrators who are just trying to keep the lights on and the kids safe.
Who is Miguel Cardona?
As of 2024 and 2025, the person sitting in that high-backed chair is Miguel Cardona. His background is actually kind of unique for D.C. He wasn't a career politician or a billionaire donor. He started as an elementary school teacher in Meriden, Connecticut. He was a principal. He was a state commissioner.
He speaks "teacher."
That matters because, for years, the Department was led by people who felt very distant from the actual chalkboard. During his tenure, Cardona has had to navigate the post-pandemic "learning loss" crisis. It’s a grim reality. Test scores in reading and math hit 30-year lows. The Secretary’s job lately hasn't been about flashy new reforms; it’s been about triage. Trying to figure out how to get kids back on track when chronic absenteeism is through the roof.
But even a "teacher-first" Secretary faces the same wall: the Constitution.
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The Tenth Amendment basically tells the federal government to stay out of things not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution. Education isn't in there. This is why the head of the Department of Education is often the most sued person in the Cabinet. Whether it's about student loan forgiveness reaching beyond executive authority or Title IX changes, the Secretary spends a lot of time in court.
The Myth of the Federal Curriculum
Let’s clear something up that drives experts crazy. The Secretary of Education does not pick your kid’s textbooks.
There is no "Federal Curriculum." In fact, the Department of Education Organization Act specifically prohibits the federal government from exercising any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum or program of instruction of any school system.
If you don't like what's being taught in 10th-grade history, complaining to Washington won't do much. You need to go to your local school board meeting. The Secretary can encourage certain subjects—like a recent push for more "Computer Science for All"—but they can't force a teacher in Des Moines to use a specific syllabus.
What Most People Get Wrong
- They aren't the boss of teachers. The Secretary has zero power to fire a bad teacher in your town.
- They don't set the school calendar. That's all local and state level.
- They don't control private schools. Unless a private school takes federal money (which many do via specific grants), the Secretary has very little say in how they operate.
- It's a "young" department. It wasn't even a Cabinet-level position until 1979 under Jimmy Carter. Before that, it was tucked away inside "Health, Education, and Welfare."
Why the Role is Constantly Under Fire
Some people want to abolish the whole thing. It’s a recurring campaign promise from various political factions. They argue that the Department is just a bloated bureaucracy that adds red tape without actually improving graduation rates.
Others argue the Department is the only thing standing between vulnerable students and state-level neglect. Without federal oversight, would a student with a learning disability in a poor district get the same resources as a student in a wealthy one? Probably not. The head of the Department of Education acts as a floor—a minimum standard of equity that states aren't allowed to drop below.
The tension is real. Every time a new Secretary is appointed, it’s a proxy war for how Americans feel about "big government" versus "parental rights."
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Actionable Steps for Navigating Federal Education Changes
If you are a parent, student, or educator, you don't have to just sit back and watch the news. The Department of Education's decisions actually affect your wallet and your classroom in specific ways.
1. Track the FAFSA Deadlines:
If you're heading to college, the Secretary’s office controls the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Don't wait for the news to tell you there’s a delay. Check the official studentaid.gov site early and often. The "soft launches" of the last few years have been rocky.
2. Public Comment Periods:
When the Secretary wants to change a rule—like how student loans are repaid or how Title IX is enforced—they have to post it for "Public Comment." Most people ignore this. Don't. You can go to Regulations.gov and actually write in. They are legally required to read and categorize these comments before finalizing a rule.
3. Look at your State’s "Report Card":
The Department of Education requires states to publish data on how schools are performing. Use the "National Assessment of Educational Progress" (NAEP) data, often called the Nation’s Report Card. It’s the only way to see how your state actually compares to others without the bias of local grading scales.
4. Loan Forgiveness Scams:
Because the Secretary is often in the news talking about debt relief, scammers are everywhere. Realize this: The Department of Education will never call you to ask for a fee to process your forgiveness. If someone asks for money to "help" with your federal loans, hang up.
The head of the Department of Education might not be in the classroom with your kids, but they are the ones setting the stage, holding the bag of money, and deciding which civil rights battles are worth fighting. It’s a job defined by its limitations as much as its power. Understanding that gap is the only way to actually make sense of the American school system.