opportunity for every individual;

to supplement and complement the efforts of States, the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the States, the
private sector, public and private educational institutions, public and private nonprofit educational research institutions,
community-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education;

to encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs;

to promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education through federally supported research, evaluation, and
sharing of information;

to improve the coordination of Federal education programs;

to improve the management and efficiency of Federal education activities, especially with respect to the process, procedures, and administrative structures for the dispersal of Federal funds, as well as the reduction of unnecessary and duplicative burdens and constraints, including unnecessary paperwork, on the recipients of Federalfunds; and

to increase the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, the Congress and the public. (Section 102, Public Law 96-88)

The Department's History

Although the Department is a relative newcomer among Cabinet-level agencies, its origins goes back to 1867, when President Andrew Johnson signed legislation creating the first Department of Education. Its main purpose was to collect information and statistics about the nation's schools. However, due to concern that the Department would exercise too much control over local schools, the new Department was demoted to an Office of Education in 1868.

Over the years, the office remained relatively small, operating under different titles and housed in various agencies, including the U.S. Department of the Interior and the former U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare (now Health and Human