Ministry of Education

What is Ministry of Education?
The US Department of Education – also referred to as DoED or ED (Education Department) - oversees the planning, funding, execution and management of different government projects in the field of education. The Department of Education also conducts studies on the implementation of different strategies in various schools throughout the country and identifies major challenges facing education in the country. The department is also responsible for post-secondary education as well as vocational and technical education. Unlike other countries where the education departments have a major say in the day to day activities of school, down to the uniforms of the students, the US Department of Education is decentralized, and focuses largely on finance related issues. It is one of the smallest departments of the United States Cabinet.

Organizational Structure of Ministry Education 
The US Department of Education is headed by the Secretary of Education, whose office supervises all the divisions working within the department. The Secretary and Under-Secretary of Education advise cabinet members and the President on educational funding and activities and are responsible for the formation and implementation of educational policies and a wide range of related matters including special education and creating a drug free environment for students. The Secretary’s office also deals with vocational education, adult education and college aid for students. The department of Educational Sciences deals with studying and analyzing learning patterns in children through different ages, and developing and implementing methods which prove effective in providing a high quality of education to students ensuring top notch academic achievement. The office of the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for the management and distribution of funds throughout the country. These include funds for improvement of the general education infrastructure, the advanced training of teachers and scholarships for students. This department determines the success rate of a particular educational program and decides whether to keep it in place or replace it with another program, and employs people with excellent skills in data collection, modeling, trend analysis and cost/benefit calculations.

The Ministry Education includes an office of Management Services that advises the Under Secretary of the department on administrative matters. The Management Services division creates detailed plans for improved administration and organizational development in schools and proposes incentives such as the ‘Performance and Results Act’ to boost student performance. Different studies and research programs are managed by a Data Management Board that is led by a Chief Information Officer. The Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development coordinates with schools throughout the country to ensure consistency of educational standards and to develop an education policy in line with social expectations and technological advancement. The Office of Communications deals with public relations on behalf of the Department of Education and develops strategies to enlighten the public about educational policies being implemented by the government. Last but not least, an office of General Counsel is responsible for providing legal services to the Secretary, and to the other divisions within the Ministry Education.

Conclusion
Overall, the US Department of Education, while small in size, performs numerous important functions that affect the nation’s education policies, and as such, is one of the most important departments within the Government. Administrating the education system in a country of 300 million people is no easy task, and the Education department faces new challenges today, including provision of equal access to education for all citizens, development of more programs and classrooms for special children and introduction of computer aided instruction.