Overview:
The U.S. Department of Education plans to dissolve the Office of English Language Acquisition, which supports over 5 million English learners, as part of a broader effort to downsize and restructure the agency.
The U.S. Department of Education is moving forward with plans to dissolve the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), a key federal office responsible for supporting the nation’s more than 5 million English learners, as part of a broader effort to scale back and restructure the agency.
The proposed closure, first communicated to Congress in a February letter and first reported by Education Week, comes after a year of significant downsizing within the department. Staffing has been reduced from roughly 4,000 employees to about 2,000, and multiple programs have been eliminated, consolidated, or transferred to other federal agencies in alignment with President Donald Trump’s longstanding goal of reducing the federal role in education.
The letter explaining OELA’s dissolution outlines where the programs OELA oversees will move within the Education Department:
- Title III formula grants will go to the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Division of State Support and Accountability, which oversees other major formula grants such as Title I.
- OELA’s National Professional Development grants will move to the office of effective educator development programs.
- The Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program will move to the department’s office of Indian education “to better align with other programs that support Native American children and youth.”
OELA has historically overseen nearly $1 billion in Title III funding, which supports services for English learners, professional development for educators, and resources to help schools meet the needs of multilingual students. Under the proposal, these responsibilities would be redistributed across other offices within the Department of Education rather than maintained under a centralized entity.
Administration officials say the move is intended to streamline operations and give states more flexibility. “The Department of Education is focused on returning education to the states while preserving critical funding and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy that can slow support to students and families,” said Kirsten Baesler, assistant secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.”English Learners should never be treated as a siloed program, set aside as an afterthoughts.”
However, critics argue that dismantling OELA risks weakening federal oversight and support for a vulnerable student population. Rachel Gittleman, president of AFGE Local 252, which represents department employees, acknowledged the difficulty of rebuilding once programs are dismantled. “I do think we can and will rebuild, but the how-long or how, I think that’s something that a lot of people are trying to think about and figure out right now,” said Rachel Gittleman, president of AFGE Local 252, the union representing employees at the department. “I wouldn’t be in the job that I’m in if I didn’t believe that rebuilding was a possibility.”
Education experts also note that while federal law still requires schools to serve English learners, the absence of a dedicated office could complicate implementation. Former OELA director Jose Viana emphasized that the office provided a centralized voice and expertise for multilingual learners in national policy discussions.
The restructuring is being carried out under provisions of the Department of Education Organization Act, which allows the Secretary of Education to reorganize certain offices with advance notice to Congress. That 90-day notification period is expected to expire soon, clearing the way for formal dissolution.
Beyond OELA, the department has initiated broader structural changes, including shifting some responsibilities to agencies such as the Treasury Department, Department of Labor, and Department of Health and Human Services. These moves have sparked ongoing legal challenges, though the administration can continue implementation while cases proceed through the courts.
Still, because many of the changes have been enacted through executive authority rather than legislation, future administrations could choose to restore programs or reestablish offices like OELA. Fully eliminating the Department of Education itself would require congressional approval.
As the debate continues, educators, policymakers, and advocates remain divided over whether the restructuring will lead to more efficient governance, or diminished support for some of the country’s most vulnerable students.
