The folks over on Understood.org on 23 September 2026 released the results of a survey of parents’ awareness and understanding of the implications of US President Donald J. Trump’s executive order to dismantle the US Department of Education and the subsequent efforts to complete that order. This survey follows one Understood conducted in March 2025 when President Trump signed the executive order.
Here’s the lede for Understood’s post for “A year later: Parents still confused about changes at the Department of Education”:
In March 2025, Understood surveyed parents immediately after President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. A year later, we went back into the field to see what had changed. The findings reveal a significant awareness gap, especially among parents whose children don’t have IEPs or 504 plans, and steady expectations about the impact on education quality.
From the page for the Understood post one can download a free copy of the full report. Readers of the full report will learn that not all parents know that oversight of special education will no longer be done by ED but that parents of students who have IEPs or 504 plans know more about the policy changes than parents of children without special-education related protections. And, there’s more in the report, too.
So, Dear Readers, go to the Understood page, “A year later: Parents still confused about changes at the Department of Education,” and secure your own copy of the survey report. Although it includes notes about methods, it is not a dense, indigestible document (only a couple of pages).
Understood.org is a non-profit devoted to helping people understand neurodivergence. It provides diverse resources. This report of the surveys fits nicely with other work that Understood is doing, including a forthcoming series of podcasts that promise to provide readily understood guidance about important policy changes in education for our kids. Stay tuned!