US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, fulfilling a campaign pledge and a long-cherished goal of some conservatives. Accusing the agency of "breath-taking failures", the Republican president vowed to return the money it controls to individual states.

President Trump's decision to dismantle the U.S. Education Department was a key promise during his 2016 presidential campaign. Conservatives have long criticized the federal government's involvement in education,