For about 30 years, the Ph.D. Project has supported students from underrepresented groups who are earning doctoral degrees in business. Now, it's attracted the attention of the Trump administration.

With cuts to nearly all the staff at the Department of Education's primary data agency, low-income and rural schools may not get the federal funds they rely on in coming years.

The president said federal student loans would move to the Small Business Administration, and hinted that the Department of Health and Human Services would take over special education oversight.

The Trump administration has already moved to cut the department's staff by half.

Teacher unions and some parent groups condemned the cuts, while school choice advocates celebrated them.

According to the department, more than 1,300 positions will be cut as a result of this reduction in force. Roughly another 600 employees have accepted voluntary resignations or retired.

The draft executive action, obtained by NPR, acknowledges that the department and its signature responsibilities were created by Congress and cannot legally be altered without congressional approval.

The White House has been clear that it intends to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, and that it will be McMahon's job to oversee that effort.

Peggy Carr, a federal official who leads one of the country's most extensive student testing programs, known as The Nation's Report Card, was placed on administrative leave.

In her confirmation hearing, Linda McMahon handled tough questions from Democrats, and affirmed President Trump's plans to shrink, and potentially eliminate, the department.

McMahon has a limited background in education, and a long career as a business executive. She'd be stepping into an agency the president hopes to dissolve.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is responsible for gathering data on a wide range of topics, including research-backed teaching practices and the state of U.S. student achievement.

The department tracks student achievement, manages college financial aid and sends K-12 schools money to support students with disabilities and lower-income communities, among other things.

We asked more than a dozen educators, researchers, advocates and experts how they would grade Biden's education legacy. He got two F's, no A's and lots of votes in the middle.

With Georgia schools opening in the coming weeks, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona spent two days in Atlanta and Augusta discussing classroom issues, including what he called the "toxic disrespect of educators."