department of education
Department of Education. The cabinet-level department of the federal government responsible for administering and coordinating most federal programs of assistance to education. • Headed by the Secretary of Education, the Department includes the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (OBEMLA), the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), the Office of Student Financial (OSF), the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), and ten regional offices. — Abbr. DOE.