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 feasibility of broader reforms. Early efforts to reorganize the agency’s oversight of federal student aid programs have encountered resistance, potentially weakening the administration’s broader agenda to reshape or dismantle parts of the department. Critics argue the missteps could leave key education initiatives vulnerable, while supporters maintain the long-term vision remains intact. The outcome hinges on whether the administration can recover from the initial hurdles or if the experiment will stall before gaining traction.

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 ...