ABOUT ED

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
www.ed.gov

Just fifty years ago, the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education ended racial segregation in America's public schools, guaranteeing for the first time equal access to public education for all Americans. Today, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) upholds the promise of equal access to education more broadly - not only ensuring that civil rights laws are upheld by educational institutions, but also administering $65 billion in student loans and grants that allow approximately nine million Americans to pursue education beyond high school.

ED administers programs, grants, and loans that touch nearly every American at one point in their lives - approximately 14,000 public school districts, nearly 54 million students attending 93,000 elementary and secondary schools, and almost 22 million post-secondary students. ED works as a partner with state and local governments; colleges and universities; local schools; communities, including students, families, and teachers; and financial institutions to oversee national initiatives to improve student performance.

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