President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Thursday instructing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to start dismantling the Department of Education.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to further gut the Department of Education at the White House on Thursday.

The president's order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps permitted by law to shrink the Department of Education, according to the sources.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to diminish the Department of Education at the White House on Thursday.

ABC News' Christiane Cordero reports on what the future of school choice may look like as President Trump is expected to sign an executive order to diminish the Department of Education.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign the order on Thursday directing the education secretary to close the department and return authority back to the state level.

The state is bracing for a massive teacher protest that will force schools in multiple districts to close.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education this week hoping to restore income-based student loan repayment programs.

John King Jr. served as Department of Education secretary during the Obama administration.

ABC News’ Jay O’Brien reports on President Donald Trump’s plan for the Department of Education in the wake of mass layoffs to the agency.

About 86% of U.S. families will qualify for the new plan, which will go into effect for the 2025-26 academic year.

The expansion will enable approximately 86% of U.S. families to qualify for Harvard College’s financial aid, the college said.

After the Department of Education gutted nearly 50% of its workforce, educators have expressed deep concern -- not only for students' futures but for their own as well.

President Donald Trump and his allies continue to make false claims about education in the country.

Professor Sean Reardon of Stanford University discusses recent data that found U.S. students are a half level grade behind in math and reading and how the COVID-19 pandemic may of played a role.

Rapper Percy “Master P” Miller talks about his work at an elementary school in Newark, New Jersey, where he’s teaching students about financial literacy through music.

More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs his officials say exclude white and Asian American students

“It doesn’t matter where you come from, it matters where you’re going,” Fordham Law student Afrika Owens told "GMA."

Joe Murphy worked at the Education Department for almost 20 years before his role was eliminated when the Department of Education laid off nearly 50% of its workforce Tuesday evening.

Joe Murphy worked at the Education Department for almost 20 years.

Education Department cuts agency that compiles 'Nation's Report Card' and measures student performance.

Cuts impacted every part of the Department of Education, according to senior officials. A source told ABC News that the Offices for Civil Rights and Federal Student Aid were most affected by layoffs.

ABC News’ Linsey Davis speaks with John B. King, the education secretary under President Barack Obama, on the future of the department amid mass layoffs under President Donald Trump

Joe Murphy, whose position as a management and data analyst was eliminated when the Department of Education laid off nearly 50% of its workforce.

The Department of Education's mass layoffs on Tuesday affected some 1,315 employees -- including civil servants around the country.

Shania Muhammad, who graduated college at the age of 15, is now a third grade teacher and a testament to the idea that you're never too young to achieve your goals.

President Trump said he felt "very badly" but quickly claimed, without evidence, that many of its employees weren't going to work or doing a good job.

The superintendent for the nation's second largest public school system says the closure of the Department of Education would bring "catastrophic harm."

The Department of Education initiated mass layoffs on Tuesday night, reducing its workforce by nearly 50%, sources told ABC News.

Mass layoffs are impacted 1,315 employees of the Department of Education, sources told ABC News.

Shane Frakes, the teacher behind 7th Grade Chronicles on social media, asked his students to react to the song, which was popular when he was in middle school. Their responses did not disappoint.

Facing the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, Duke University is preparing for the worst

Gov. JB Pritzker traveled to various cities in Illinois to discuss his new education proposals, including banning cell phones in schools. He discusses the latest.

Linda McMahon said Friday that President Donald Trump "intends" to sign an executive order to dissolve the Department of Education -- but it's still unclear when.

ABC News' Linsey Davis speaks with former Department of Education Sec. Arne Duncan on the functions of the DOE and what could be lost if the Trump administration moves forward with cuts.

Sheria Smith, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees local 252, discussed the latest on President Donald Trump's threats toward the Department of Education.

Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, talks about the possible dismantling of the Department of Education.

A draft of the executive order called on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to facilitate a department closure by taking all necessary steps "permitted by law," sources had earlier told ABC News.

ABC News' Alex Presha and Jennifer Jenkins, founder and chair of Educated We Stand, discuss the potential impact of dismantling the Department of Education.

Secretary Linda McMahon has released what she calls the “final mission” for the Department of Education.

The new online portal went live on Thursday for the community to submit discrimination-focused complaints. ABC News’ Alex Presha reports.

The Department of Education launched a first-of-its-kind website, "EndDEI.Ed.Gov," hours before a deadline warning institutions to end illegal discrimination.

The Department of Education letter stressing that discrimination on the basis of race is "illegal" could put Black male educators at risk, according to education experts.

Hunter College removed a job listing for a Palestinian Studies professor at the direction of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the university system has confirmed.

Schools and universities could risk losing federal funding if they don’t comply with the directive. ABC News’ Alex Presha reports.

The Los Angeles Unified School District's ban also includes smart watches and glasses, and some parents are critical of the new rule.

Ohio schoolteacher Heather Stambaugh discusses how her rural school district could be impacted by the dismantling of the Department of Education.

A father of special needs children said he is concerned about the future of his sons’ learning opportunities amid threats to shutter the Department of Education.

The executive order applies to students and not to teachers or staff. 

Donte Moore, a father of two children with special needs, shares concern over the Trump administration's plan to dismantle the Department of Education.