Abolishing the Department of Education: A Critical Necessity
Conservative policymakers have long criticized the U.S. Department of Education, arguing that its centralized authority undermines parental and state control of education. Since its creation in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, the department has been labeled a costly failure, unable to achieve its stated goals despite decades of effort and ever-increasing budgets.
A Failed Experiment
As federal control over education expanded, the results have been catastrophic. Testing scores have steadily declined, global proficiency rankings have plummeted, and public trust in the system has eroded. In stark reality, only 26% of eighth graders perform at or above grade-level proficiency. The growing disconnect between funding and results highlights the system’s inefficiency. Federal spending per student rose from $11,221 in 1979 (adjusted for inflation) to $17,700 in 2023, yet student performance has stagnated or declined.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that 13-year-olds recently scored their lowest math proficiency levels in over 30 years. Similarly, the number of high school seniors who did not read a single book for pleasure nearly quadrupled between 1976 and 2021—tragic! These statistics paint a grim picture of a system that fails to prepare students for a competitive and increasingly globalized world.
A Bureaucratic Overreach
Critics argue that the Department of Education prioritizes bureaucratic interests over student success. Despite contributing only 9% of overall education funding, the federal government controls 90% of education policies, stifling local and state innovation. Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has called for its closure, stating, “We spent over $1 trillion...and we’ve gotten nothing but worse results.” She advocates redirecting federal funds directly to parents through block grants, empowering them to choose the best educational options for their children.
The department has also faced backlash for imposing controversial social policies, including promoting gender ideology and critical race theory (CRT) in curricula and forgoing grades or discriminating based on skin tone when grading in the name of race equity. Some school systems stooped as low as segregating students by skin tone in the name of DEI.
Ensuring Safeguards in a Decentralized System
Dismantling the department raises concerns about potential disparities among states. Critics worry that blue states may adopt radicalized policies that could undermine national unity and educational standards. Some propose legislative safeguards to prevent this, ensuring baseline standards that preserve American identity and historical accuracy while banning DEI, CRT, Social Justice Activist Training, All Ages Comprehensive Sex Education, Gender Fluidity, the 1619 Project, Parental Rights Violations, Gender and Sexual Orientation Counseling, Planned Parenthood education programs, and more.
While the task of decentralizing education is immense, it offers an opportunity to lift up America’s children and secure the nation’s future while stripping power from the teacher unions, which have promoted a Marxist agenda in government schools for far too long.
