U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education was created in 1980 when several other federal agencies were combined. Its creation was not without controversy. Unlike many nations, the United States does not have a centralized public education system. The maintenance of public schools is left up to states and to individual school systems.
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You can find jobs with the education department's EdHIRES system, online at
Many Republicans believed that a U.S. Department of Education was irrelevant. Democrats, on the other hand, believed that a centralized federal education department was necessary to provide assistance to underperforming schools and to be a clearinghouse for scholarships.
The U.S. Department of Education has about 4,500 employees, and its mission is to do the following:
Establish policies on federal financial aid for education, and distribute as well as monitor those funds.
Collect data on America's schools and disseminate research.
Focus national attention on key educational issues.
Prohibit discrimination and ensure equal access to education.
Strengthen the federal commitment to assuring access to equal educational opportunities for every individual.
Supplement and complement the efforts of states, local school systems, and other instrumentalities of the states, the private sector, public and private nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education.
Encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in federal education programs.
Promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education through federally supported research, evaluation, and sharing of information.
Improve the coordination of federal education programs.
Improve the management of federal education activities.
Increase the accountability of federal education programs to the president, the Congress, and the public.
Salaries and Other Benefits
U.S. Department of Education salaries are based on position, level, and geographic location. Entry-level professional salaries range from $22,000 to $27,000 annually. Locality pay is provided to offset the cost of living in many areas. For example, it is more expensive to live in Jersey City, New Jersey, than Des Moines, Iowa.
There are flexible work options available to some employees, such as telecommuting from home. More than 20 percent of education department employees telecommute. Depending on time served, you will be eligible for between thirteen and twenty-six vacation days per year, as well as thirteen days of sick leave. Good health coverage, life insurance, and retirement benefits are available. You can earn extra days off by taking part in volunteer activities such as community, education, and youth programs. You will get time off to attend teaching-related conferences, and you will get a mass transit subsidy of up to $100 a month if you take mass transit to work. There is also a child-care subsidy and tuition reimbursement.
