FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 2 

Mission and Organizational Structure

Our Mission

The U.S. Department of Education’s mission is to promote student 

achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering 

educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

Our Mission

The U.S. Department of Education’s mission is to promote student 

achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering 

educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

Who We Are. In 1867, the federal government formally recognized that furthering education 

was a national priority and created a federal education agency to collect and report statistical 

data. The Department was established as a cabinet-level agency in 1979. Today, the 

Department supports programs that address access and equity in education. 

The Department engages in four major types of activities: establishing policies related to federal 

education funding, including the distribution of funds, collecting on student loans, and using data 

to monitor the use of funds; supporting data collection and research on America’s schools; 

identifying major issues in education and focusing national attention on them; and enforcing 

federal laws prohibiting discrimination in programs that receive federal funds. 

Our Public Benefit. The Department is committed to helping all students throughout the nation 

succeed in school and, in doing so, preparing them for work, life, and citizenship. While 

recognizing the primary role of states and school districts in providing a high-quality education, 

the Department supports efforts to employ effective teachers and administrators, establish 

challenging content and achievement standards, and monitor students’ progress against those 

standards. 

The Department’s largest financial asset (and expenditure) is a portfolio of student loans. The 

second-biggest expenditure is student grants and other aid to help pay for college through Pell 

Grants, Work Study, and other campus-based programs. Grants to states based on legislated 

formulas are the third-largest expenditure of the Department, mostly for elementary and 

secondary education. The Department also administers competitive grant programs to promote 

innovation, performs research, collects education statistics, and enforces civil rights statutes. 

Offices by Function. Federal Student Aid (FSA) administers need-based financial assistance 

programs for students pursuing postsecondary education and makes available federal grants, 

direct loans, and work-study funding to eligible undergraduate and graduate students. 

The offices of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Educational Technology (OET), 

Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Innovation and Improvement (OII), 

English Language Acquisition (OELA), Postsecondary Education (OPE), and Career, Technical, 

and Adult Education (OCTAE) provide leadership, technical assistance, and financial support to 

state and local education agencies, institutions of higher education (IHEs), adult education 

programs, and state vocational rehabilitation agencies for reform, strategic investment, and 

innovation in education and employment of youth and adults from all backgrounds and those 

with disabilities. 

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the research and statistics arm of the Department. 

The Department’s goal is to provide rigorous and relevant evidence on which to ground 

education practice and policy and share this information broadly. By identifying what works, 
MISSION AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 3 

what doesn’t, and why, IES aims to improve educational outcomes for all students, particularly 

those at risk of failure. Its goal is to transform education into an evidence-based field in which 

decision makers routinely seek out the best available research and data before adopting 

programs or practices that will affect significant numbers of students. 

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) works to ensure equal access to education and to promote 

educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights laws. 

OCR serves student populations facing discrimination and the advocates and institutions 

promoting systemic solutions to civil rights issues. 

The Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (OPEPD) serves as the principal 

adviser to the Secretary on all matters relating to policy development, performance 

measurement and evaluation, and budget formulation, policy, and process. The Budget Service 

and the Policy and Program Studies Service (PPSS) are housed within OPEPD. 

The White House Initiatives. A number of committees and other groups—composed of 

individuals who are knowledgeable of education in elementary and secondary schools; 

postsecondary institutions, including community colleges; or adult education programs―assist

and advise the President and the Secretary and provide valuable guidance to the Department 

on policy and program issues: Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, White 

House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, White House Initiative on 

Educational Excellence for Hispanics, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific 

Islanders, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and White 

House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education.

Support Service Offices. The Department’s support services offices are major partners with 

the grant-making and other principal offices as they provide services to external and internal 

customers. These offices include: Office of the Secretary; Office of the Deputy Secretary; Office 

of the Under Secretary; Office of the General Counsel; Office of Legislation and Congressional 

Affairs; Office of the Chief Financial Officer; Office of the Chief Information Officer; Risk 

Management Service; Office of Management; and Office of Communications and Outreach. 

Office of Inspector General. The Department of Education Organization Act (P.L. 96-88) 

established the Office of Inspector General (OIG) within the Department. The OIG’s mission is 

to promote the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department’s programs and 

operations by conducting independent and objective audits, investigations, inspections, and 

other activities. 

Regional Offices. The Department has 10 primary regional offices that provide points of 

contact and assistance for schools, parents, and citizens. Those regional offices and certain 

other locations offer support through communications, civil rights enforcement, law enforcement, 

and federal student aid services to promote efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity in the 

programs and operations of the Department. 

Descriptions of the principal offices and overviews of the activities of the Department and its 

programs can be found on the Department’s website. 
MISSION AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 4 

Our Organization in Fiscal Year 2015

This chart reflects the organizational structure of the U.S. Department of Education. 

Interactive and text versions of the coordinating structure of the Department are available 

online.