5. Shut Down the Department of Education
The Department of Education was created in 1980 to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” Now ask yourself how that has worked out.
The quality of American public education was already on decline when the Department of Education was created, and the decline has continued, and perhaps even accelerated, in the years since it began its mission. According to Forbes, the decline in education is even jeopardizing national security.
The United States invests more in K-12 education than many countries, about $10-$14K per pupil annually, but that investment is not so much in the children themselves, but in administration, teacher pensions, and facilities. Education spending has been increasing, while the quality of education is decreasing.
The Department of Education has strong-armed states into accepting Common Core in an effort to shore up educational standards, but the curriculum is extremely unpopular with many parents and teachers. Common Core is unlikely to achieve the educational gains it claims, and will further provide an excuse for schools that fail to provide an adequate education.
It is no wonder that homeschooling has surged over the last several years, up 62% from 2003–12.
The federal government has proved that it cannot improve education, yet its Education Department budget for 2016 provided $70.7 billion in discretionary spending.
Our collective intellectual decline is more than humorous fodder for Mark Dice videos. An uneducated and uninformed populace is inherently less free. Dismantling the US Department of Education is a first step in returning education back to communities and individuals who have a true, vested interest in the education of their children.
