The review will focus on K-12 policy, Mr. Goad said. It will be overseen by a regulatory task force headed by Robert Eitel, who was hired from the for-profit sector to serve as a senior counselor to Ms. DeVos. Mr. Eitel is a vocal critic of regulations in higher-education and K-12 policy, and his hiring was controversial.

A New York Times investigation found that before he took his post in the Education Department, Mr. Eitel spent 18 months as a top lawyer for a company facing multiple government investigations, including one that ended with a settlement of more than $30 million over deceptive student lending.

Mr. Trump’s order was lauded by the Center for Education Reform, which advocates school-choice policies. In a statement, its founder, Jeanne Allen, said that conducting the review was “part and parcel of ensuring that education innovation, and opportunity, are able to take root throughout our various education sectors.”

“The process will also allow the public to learn just how much oversight occurs as a result of bureaucracy, not law, and pave the way for all schools to focus on outcomes, not compliance,” Ms. Allen said.

But other observers said the order stands to have little impact on large-scale reforms already underway, such as the Every Student Succeeds Act, and bedrock laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Act, which governs the education of special education students. And the Common Core standards, which neither Ms. DeVos nor Mr. Trump supports, were adopted by states at their own volition.

“The bottom line is that the law is still the law, and an executive order can’t override that,” said Kelly McManus, interim director of legislative affairs at the Education Trust, a Washington think tank.

Ms. McManus said the organization is also concerned about the Education Department’s watchdog role being diminished.