By Emel Akan, Zachary Stieber Contributing Writers  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was expected to sign an executive order on Thursday that will facilitate the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, taking a step toward fulfilling a campaign pledge.  The order, which has be en under preparation for weeks, will be signed at a White House event with several Republican governors and state education commissioners in attendance, as confirmed by the White House. The plan was first reported by USA Today.  Trump will direct his recently confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all required steps to prepare for the closure of the Education Department and transfer its authority to the states, according to a White House fact sheet.  According to the fact sheet, the order also aims to ensure that, throughout the process, there is no disruption in the delivery of services, programs, and benefits that Americans rely on.  The order also instructs that any programs or activities receiving remaining Department of Education funds will not promote diversity, equity and inclusion or gender ideology.  The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  McMahon, confirmed by the Senate on March 3, said in her first message to employees — titled “Our Department’s Final Mission” — that her “vision is aligned with the president’s: to send education back to the states.”  She added, “Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the president they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education — a momentous final mission — quickly and responsibly.”  The Department of Education employed about 4,200 workers before its recent termination of around 1,300, and the buyout of another 600.  The agency’s current form stems from a 1979 law that made it independent by splitting it from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.  The federal government’s role in education, according to the White House, has failed students, parents and teachers.  National Assessment of Educational Progress scores demonstrate that student achievement has not improved, despite more than $3 trillion invested since the Department of Education’s inception in 1979, according to the fact sheet.  Trump promised on the campaign trail to abolish the Department of Education, alleging it is responsible for indoctrinating America’s youth.  On Feb. 4, Trump cited global rankings that have the United States behind many other countries, despite spending the most per student. He suggested at the time that he could work with Congress and teachers’ unions to abolish the agency but also did not rule out issuing an executive order.  The post Trump to sign order to eliminate Department of Education  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less