In a speech in January 2015, U.S. Education Secretary Arne
Duncan urged a continued central role for the federal government in education
policy. He said the president was proposing to increase federal spending on
elementary and secondary schools by $2.7 billion; Congress had appropriated $67
billion to the U.S. Department of Education—with $23.3 billion for the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act—in the 2015 budget.[1]
Typically, debate on the federal
government’s role had focused on the use of standardized tests in holding
schools accountable. I submit that a self-governing people has a duty to
consider the wider implications, such as the impact of a greater role on the
federal system. Otherwise, unintended consequences may show up after it is too
late to do anything about them.
The full essay is at "Federal Policy in Education."
[1]
Caroline Porter and Siobhan Hughes, “Education Secretary Presses Central
Federal Policy Role,” The Wall Street
Journal, January 13, 2015.
.
