Office of English Language Acquisition Eliminated

On May 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education shuttered its Office of English Language Acquisition, the agency's only arm dedicated to helping English learners and immigrant students gain English proficiency and academic success while preserving their heritage languages. The closure came over a year after the office's staff had been cut to just one person (from roughly 15). The roughly $890 million in Title III funding Congress appropriated for fiscal year 2026 — supporting over 5 million English language learners — will remain, but its administrative responsibilities are being shifted elsewhere. The department had notified Congress of its intent to move the office's functions in a Feb. 13 letter, which has not been publicly disclosed.