High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. Created by the Department of Education Organization Act, it was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 17, 1979 and began operating on May 4, 1980. The Department of Education Organization Act divided the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. The Department of Education is administered by the United States Secretary of Education. It is by far the smallest Cabinet-level department, with about 5,000 employees. The agency's official acronym is ED.