Control of schools should be in local hands, not federal

Virginia Foxx, who represents the 5th Congressional District of North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives, is on the right track on education and the 10th Amendment:

The federal government’s involvement in education illustrates what happens when Washington gets too big.

First, let’s have a show of hands. How many teachers and parents love the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law? Based on the feedback I’ve received from educators and concerned parents, NCLB doesn’t have many fans. It is a perfect example of good intentions at the federal level gone awry.

NCLB is a federal, top-down attempt to improve education in America’s schools — a noble goal. If we can agree on anything, it’s that our children should be well-educated and prepared for a life of productive citizenship.

As these things almost always turn out, federal meddling resulted in a one-size-fits-all approach that neglects local concerns and produces a grotesque layer of regulation and wasteful bureaucracy. In fact, NCLB singlehandedly burdened state and local educators with 6.7 million hours of paperwork, according to the Office of Management and Budget. This is no recipe for success.

That’s only one reason we should get the federal government out of the business of education and return full control to state and local governments. Education can be a powerful force for good. Why risk letting cookie-cutter regulations and mandates from Washington distort such a powerful force? One word: money.

Where she misses the point is that she’s proposing a new law, the A-PLUS Act, to “allow” states “to consolidate federal education programs and funding and then direct these resources toward innovative solutions that result in successful schools.”

It’s a step in the right direction, something that’s rare for a federal politician. But what Virginia needs to understand is that it’s not her – or anyone else in D.C. – right or authority to “allow” states anything of the sort. The people of the states have the right to do what they want in education whether the federal politicians and bureaucrats want to give us their permission to or not.

Michael Boldin [send him email] is the founder of the Tenth Amendment Center. He was raised in Milwaukee, WI, and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Follow him on twitter - @michaelboldin, on LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

James Frady

I believe I'll write to Patrick McHenry and have him hook up with Mrs Foxx but sugest that instead of the A-Plus act, they attack the federal department of education and return full power to every state. I have always felt that the DOE was a huge overstretch of federal power into the state and local governments jurisdictions.

Monorprise

I have a feeling that wont go over too well with the vast majority of congress even if it weren't in big government liberal hands. We might be better off simply getting the Federal money and stuff packaged together in a way in which it will be easier for State legislators to nully.

I really don't think, congress is going to be all that eager to give up this power.

Control over education is really too politically important to them. Particular the ones that don't do so well in the legitimate areas of federal authority such as National Defense. if they cant run on some how improving education and other social domestic issues, then they may not be able to win their office again.

So while i fully agree with you James in principle and would ideally want that, I don't think congress even under republicans will ever give it to us. It therefore may be wise to uses less direct means of simply maneuvering them into a position where they modify the bill as to make it easier for our states to nully it.

As long as they don't think their giving up the power, they can be more "agreeable".
Ultimately however federal education funding has to stop all together, and the states are going to have to pick up all the cost themselves.

Control of schools should be in local hands, not federal

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