WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Education is moving parts of its workload to the State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services under two new interagency agreements, while also taking new steps to open the accreditation market and reshape the federal research arm that informs education policy.
What This Means for You
- Foreign gift reporting by colleges will be managed with greater involvement from State Department national security experts.
- Several school safety, emergency response, and family engagement programs will be administered through HHS, with Education retaining oversight.
- The department says new actions on accreditation and research are intended to speed decisions and focus federal work on outcomes.
Two New Interagency Agreements
On Monday, the Education Department announced agreements with the State Department and HHS that it said are intended to streamline how legally required education functions are carried out and reduce administrative burdens for states and grantees.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the agreements are part of the Trump administration’s effort to “return education to the states” while reassigning certain responsibilities to agencies the department argues are better positioned to manage them.
“Foreign gift data reported by universities should be readily accessible to our top national security experts,” McMahon said, adding that the HHS partnership is aimed at strengthening school safety and support capabilities.
Foreign Gift Reporting Moves Closer to State
Under the State partnership, the State Department will support Education in managing the Section 117 foreign funding reporting portal, which collects disclosures of foreign gifts and contracts by certain public and private U.S. colleges and universities, as required under the Higher Education Act.
The department said State will apply its national security and foreign national academic admissions expertise to review compliance, share data with federal stakeholders and the public, and help identify potential threats.
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said the agreement is designed to strengthen transparency and “safeguard the integrity of our academic institutions,” adding that it will bolster “research security and national security.”
HHS to Administer School Support and Safety Programs
Under the HHS agreement, the Education Department said HHS will take a larger administrative role in programs tied to family engagement and school support, including Project SERV, School Safety National Activities, Ready to Learn Programming, Full-Service Community Schools, Promise Neighborhoods, and Statewide Family Engagement Centers.
Project SERV, or the School Emergency Response to Violence program, provides support to schools and communities after violent events.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said HHS will apply its emergency and crisis response experience in a school context. “Nothing matters more than the safety of our children,” Kennedy said.
The Education Department said HHS will manage competitions, provide technical assistance, and integrate the programs with broader disaster preparedness and response systems already administered by HHS, with Education providing oversight.
Accreditation Rule Aims to Lower Barriers for New Accreditors
On Thursday, the Education Department issued an interpretive rule it said is intended to reduce barriers for new accrediting agencies seeking federal recognition.
The department said the rule is meant to increase competition in an accreditation marketplace it describes as stagnant and dominated by entrenched players, framing the move as part of a broader accreditation reform agenda under the Trump administration.
Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said the department is seeking to “prioritize students” and promote competition among accreditors. The interpretive rule clarifies when accrediting activities begin for purposes of meeting a two-year activity requirement and commits to determining basic eligibility within 60 calendar days of an application, with the department stating its intent to complete review of the written petition in six to 12 months.
The department said only four new accrediting agencies have been recognized since 1999 with the authority to serve as institutional gatekeepers for Title IV federal student aid eligibility.
The department also cited Executive Order 14279 on accreditation reform and listed related actions, including lifting restrictions on switching accreditors, seeking public input on the Accreditation Handbook, awarding nearly $15 million through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education to support accreditation reform, and planning an Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization negotiated rulemaking committee slated to meet in April and May 2026.
Education Research Overhaul Proposed for IES
On Friday, McMahon said she received a reform report on the Institute of Education Sciences from Senior Advisor Dr. Amber Northern.
The report, titled Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences, argues that education research funded or produced through IES has too often been slow, siloed, and disconnected from classroom realities, and recommends concentrating resources on urgent challenges identified with state and district leaders.
Northern’s recommendations include shifting toward multi-state awards to scale interventions, creating a more coordinated data strategy to reduce redundancy, and narrowing the scope of the What Works Clearinghouse toward practice guides and tools intended to help educators apply evidence in classrooms.
Acting IES Director Matthew Soldner said the agency will consider the recommendations with a focus on ensuring educators and policymakers have information they can use to improve student outcomes.
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