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Under the Constitution, the President of the United States determines U.S. foreign policy. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department and the Foreign Service of the United States. Created in 1789 by the Congress as the successor to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of State is the senior executive Department of the U.S. Government. The Secretary of State’s duties relating to foreign affairs have not changed significantly since then, but they have become far more complex as international commitments multiplied. These duties – the activities and responsibilities of the State Department – include the following:
In addition, the Secretary of State retains domestic responsibilities that Congress entrusted to the State Department in 1789. These include the custody of the Great Seal of the United States, the preparation of certain presidential proclamations, the publication of treaties and international acts as well as the official record of the foreign relations of the United States, and the custody of certain original treaties and international agreements. The Secretary also serves as the channel of communication between the Federal Government and the States on the extradition of fugitives to or from foreign countries. The secretary of education leads the Department and promotes public understanding of the Department's mission, goals and objectives. The secretary is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. As a member of the president's Cabinet, the secretary is the principal adviser to the president on federal policies, programs and activities related to education in the United States. The deputy secretary plays a pivotal role in overseeing and managing the development of policies, recommendations and initiatives that help define a broad, coherent vision for achieving the president's education priorities, and the under secretary oversees policies, programs and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid. In addition, the secretary appoints an assistant secretary to oversee each of the nine program offices (see list below). The Office of the General Counsel serves as the principal adviser to the secretary on all legal matters affecting Department programs and activities and represents the secretary, other officers and the Department in court and in some litigation. In addition, OGC provides legal advice and services to the secretary and other Department officials, prepares regulatory documents and legal instruments, drafts legislative proposals, and reviews proposed and pending legislation. The Office of Inspector General promotes the effective and efficient use of taxpayer dollars in support of American education by detecting and preventing fraud, waste and abuse in the administration of Department programs and operations. OIG serves as the principal adviser to the secretary on these matters. The Office for Civil Rights enforces federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap or age in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. It directs, coordinates and recommends policy for related civil rights activities. The Office of Communications and Outreach leads the Department in informing the public about and engaging it in the president's and secretary's education agenda and the Department's mission of fostering educational excellence and promoting equal access to education. Audiences are the general public as well specialized publics, such as educators, the media, policymakers, business and community groups, and researchers. The Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs serves as the Department's liaison to Congress and the secretary's principal adviser on matters concerning the Department's legislative program and congressional relations. And the International Affairs Office works with external partners, for example, other federal agencies, foreign governments and international organizations, as well as internal offices, to coordinate the Department's international programs and initiatives and build a U.S. presence in the international education community. The Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development serves as the principal adviser to the secretary on all matters relating to policy development and review, strategic planning, program performance measurement and evaluation, and budget processes and proposals. It is home to the Department's Budget Service and Family Policy Compliance Office. It also coordinates the activities of the Office of Educational Technology, which has as its main goal maximizing technology's contributions to improving education nationwide through developing national educational technology policy and implementing it Departmentwide. The Office of Management, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, and the Risk Management Service are responsible in their respective operational areas for making the Department a high-performing organization. Four White House education initiatives have their home at the Department so that its senior officers may serve as the liaisons between the executive branch and the constituencies of these initiatives: the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Also, the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships was established at the Department with the goal of enlisting faith-based and community organizations in support of the Department's mission. The Department has nine program offices.
You can find more information on the Department's website on each of the offices mentioned above. Visit http://www2.ed.gov/about/ offices/list/index.html and select the link for the office in which you are interested. If you want detailed information on any of the approximately 200 Department programs authorized and funded under federal law, check the Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/gtep/gtep.pdf. It also includes information on the laboratories, centers and other facilities funded by the Department that provide important resources for education. For help with any question you may have, check with the Department's Information Resource Center or another of the sources listed at the end of this booklet. |