Over the years, the federal government has steadily been increasing its control of public education in the United States. The most notable developments of the last decade include the No Child Left Behind Act off 2001 and the ED Recovery Act, part of President Obama’s comprehensive recovery plan. As of September 30, 2010, $97.4 billion dollars was allocated under the ED Recovery Act (Department of Education). With the significant increase in federal interference, the American public should expect positive results. Instead, schools are faced with the same problems they had before the increase in federal interest and, in addition, even more problems arise. Federal involvement in education wastes billions of dollars every year while creating an education system that exists to promote politics, not education. It is time for the federal government to permanently cease its involvement in education.
The federal government has been pouring money into the education system for decades. With the additional support the states have been receiving, student achievement and opportunities should be increasing. Instead, school districts are cutting all but the basic programs and achievement remains stagnant. Federal spending per student has tripled since 1970, even when adjusted for inflation (Coulson), but test scores haven’t changed (McCluskey). The only change that was more than 1% was in science, and those scores indicated a drop in scores, not the expected increase (Coulson). Federal money is going down the drain, and the states seem content to keep it that way because it lifts the burden of improving their own schools. This waste of money should not continue.
The fundamental premise behind federal control of education is that every child...
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...tion. Now it is weak, but it can again be the best in the world. The federal government must cease to involve itself in the field of education. Only then will American students begin to receive the education they deserve.
Works Cited
Coulson, Andrew J. “Has Federal Involvement Improved America’s Schools?”. Cato Institute, 2009. Web. 30 November 2010.
Department of Education. “Recovery Act Highlights”. U.S. Department of Education, no date. Web. 30 November 2010.
McCluskey, Neal. “No Federal Failure Left Behind”. Cato Institute, 2004. Web. 30 November 2010.
McCluskey, Neal. “Why We Fight: How Public Schools Cause Social Conflict”. Policy Analysis No. 587. Cato Institute, 2007. Web. 30 November 2010.
Romanowski, Michael H. “What You Don’t Know Can’t Hurt You: Textbook Omissions and 9/11”. The Clearing House; 82:6 (August 2009). Web. 30 November 2010.
The United States Department of Education (D.O.E.) has been officially around since 1971 when President Jimmy Carter signed into law the creation of the D.O.E. as a Cabinet level agency. Two years later, when President Ronald Reagan took office, he planned on abolishing the D.O.E. right away because he believed the federal government was intruding too much and that the state and local governments should control the education (Genovese 164). However, in 1983 the D.O.E. published A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Education Reform, which critiqued America’s public education system. President Reagan was alarmed at this report and decided to retain the D.O.E. because he saw it as a weakness if our education system was producing citizens not able to contribute positively to our economy (Genovese 165). Since that year, most Republican presidential candidates have considered abolishing the D.O.E. until recently.
The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act applied a market approach to school reform as a way of improving the school system. This new law promised an era of high standards, testing, and accountability in
In “End Them, Don’t Mend Them,” P.J. O’Rourke vehemently argues that the public school system needs to be shut down and ended for good due to a monumental increase in spending per pupil with no significant standardized test score improvements made in the past forty years. O’Rourke describes his view of a typical public school family that the public school system has marred with quirks and educational flaws to open up his essay. He then contends that putting a child through public school costs a fortune by pointing out that the average cost per pupil from pre-K through 12th grade is $11,749. O’Rourke cites an annual Gallop Poll conducted from 2004-2007 to explain that Americans find insufficient spending to be the top problem with public schools.
Back in 2001, before the No Child Left Behind Act was proposed, the United State’s rank in educational performance was 16th. After the act was put into action, that rank moved up to where we now stand at 17th in the nation. Statistics also showed that because of America’s dropping education level, many teachers began to get discouraged in their professions. Although, America has not ever been able to hold the title ...
The American public education system was founded on the radical notion that all members of society should have equal access to education. Also crucial was the notion that a basic common education was essential for a true democracy. This revolutionary system is now in indisputable trouble. Many worry about America’s ability to compete with foreign countries while others address the growing dichotomy between the quality of education in different economic areas. Recent rural shootings have only exasperated the problem, and caused many parents to entirely abandon the public system for a private alternative.
Martin, M. (1991). Trading the Known for the Unknown, Warning Signs in the Debate over School Choice. Education and Urban Society, 23, 2.
In the United States, education plays a vital role for the government. It was a major interest of our Founding Fathers in writing the Constitution because our democracy relies on an educated society. John Adams once stated, “Education for every class and rank of people down to the lowest and poorest.” Our Founding Fathers did not want education only for the upper class, but also for the lower class as well. Education is essential for the development and prosperity of our country. It has enhanced American financial and administrative leadership. In acknowledging the importance of education, the federal government took upon a grander role of financing public schools with the passage of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965, which along the years was subjected to various reauthorizations. In 2001, the reauthorizations included No Child Left behind Act (NCLB), which required the states to set the standards for student performance as well as teacher quality. This act helps the educational advancement in schools because it improves the comprehensiveness and fairness of the American education.
Even in this time of struggle, with billions of dollars going towards various war efforts overseas, America still has managed to keep taxpayer investments in education higher than that of funds for national defense (U.S Department of Education). In the 2004-05 school year, there was an estimated amount of 536 billion dollars set aside from taxpayer investment for education purposes. Without a doubt, education is a priority for the American government, and if these funds are used in the correct way, there is no reason why each and every kid in the United States shouldn’t be getting a quality education. However, the organization of the financial system is flawed, funds are not handled proportionately at the state level; rather, this system favors the wealthier districts and hands more funds to them while the less wealthier districts are handed a smaller pool of funds. This really affects America’s quality of education, which also reflects upon how America fairs on the world stage when it comes to competition in education with other countries. The disorganization of funds in the United States can be seen in the Hoover City School district, which has bought every student in that district an iPad for use in school. The first problem with this is that this school district does not even have a viable bus system that can transport students to and from school. Secondly, not even 20 miles from this district lies the Birmingham City School district where a little more than half the students are graduating, compared to Hoover City Schools where a bit more than 90 percent of the students are graduating. If anything, the state should be working towards improving educational standards in lower-income communities rather than debating on the log...
Proper school funding is one of the keys to having a successful school. Americans believe that funding is the biggest problem in public schools. School improvements revolve around funding. There needs to be funding not only in the successful schools but also the schools that aren’t doing as well. In documentary, Waiting for Superman, it talks about how smaller class sizes will help students. Funding is what will help the smaller class sizes. State funding mechanisms are subject to intense political and economic scrutiny (Leonard). Studies have shown that funding is inversely related to accreditation levels (Leonard). School funding needs to be increased, but there must be accountability as well.
The costs and benefits of an excellent education for all of America’s children. Teachers College, Columbia University Levin, Henry, Clive Belfield, Peter Muennig, and Cecilia Rouse. 2007.
Rebell, Michael A. “Safeguarding The Right To A Sound Basic Education In Times Of Fiscal Constraint.” Albany Law Review 75.4 (2012). 1855-1976. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
Education is a elemental human right and essential for all other human rights. It is a powerful tool by which socially and economically marginalized children and adults can lift themselves out of poverty. It also consists of the right to freedom of education. Freedom of education is the right given to human beings to have access to the education of their preference without any constrictions. Right to education is a human right recognized by the United Nations. It includes the entire compulsion to eliminate inequity at all levels of the educational system.
Sikkink, D. (1999). The social sources of alienation from public schools. Social Forces, 78(1), pp. 51-56. Retrieved December 7, 2004 from EBSCO database
Some states want to have separation when it comes to the income of these schools. States argue that high class, wealthy, school districts should have more money than the lower class districts, because of the tax payers wants or because there are better opportunities for students to grow in the wealthier areas. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 50 percent of lower end schools are not receiving the amount of money they should get from the state funds (U.S. Department of Education). This is what is preventing school districts in these areas from helping students with their education. The schools are forced to cut back on programs such as extracurricular activities that are suppose to encourage students to be active, or they would have to cut back on supplies where in some cases there are not enough textbooks for each student to have his or her own. The U.S. Department of Education also stated that teachers that are less paid and have less years teaching are often the ones dealing with the students in poverty. (U.S. Department of Education). This only prolongs the problem with children receiving the proper education. If they are taught by teachers who don’t know what they are teaching or those who don’t have enough experience, then the students are not going to learn the correct information or any information at all. While there are some schools
Education is a vital tool for lifelong success but there are many areas of concern in the current system of public education. Education reform has been a constant occurrence since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Every year, specialists develop