This paper presents a set of arguments in support of maintaining a cabinet-level Department of Education. It first traces the history of the federal role in education, which was established early in the history of the United States and has evolved over the decades through a series of specific responses to the nation's educational needs. It has never been as a comprehensive plan to nationalize American education. The next chapter presents a threefold rationale for federal involvement in education: to broaden access to education, to enhance the quality of education, and to provide financial assistance to local school districts. Federal education programs are needed because (1) state and local agencies are unable or unwilling to protect the political, economic, and educational rights of the disadvantaged; (2) improvement of the education system is a constant and important goal; (3) the federal government's tax base is broader, and its taxes are less regressive than state and local taxes; and (4) certain activities, such as research and information collection and dissemination, are solely national level functions. A series of appendixes provide a fact sheet on the Reagan Administration's proposals to dismantle the Department of Education and a summary of the accomplishments of the department, along with a letter to Congress describing right-wing attacks on the Department of Education, and a list of national associations supporting the Department of Education Coalition. (TE)