The Education Department gave another agency power to distribute its money. It hasn't gone well.

A controversial push to restructure the Education Department under the Trump administration has faced significant setbacks, raising questions about the viability of broader reforms. Early efforts to reorganize the agency’s oversight of student loans and grant programs have encountered resistance, potentially weakening the administration’s more sweeping plans to reshape federal education policy. Critics argue the missteps could leave key initiatives vulnerable, while supporters insist the challenges highlight the need for deeper systemic changes. The outcome may hinge on whether the administration can recover from these early stumbles or if the experiment will collapse under its own weight.

The stumbles of an early Trump administration experiment to carve up the Education Department risks undercutting the president’s more dramatic demolition plan for the agency. The Labor Department ...