How can Congress both improve American education and reduce the Federal budget?
Eliminate the Federal Department of Education. Story: In 1976 President Jimmy Carter signed the Federal Department of Education into law consolidating legislation back to Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 Title I. It passed Congress by a narrow vote. The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers lobbied Congress heavily for the legislation. Carter’s promise to create the Department made him the first candidate ever endorsed by the NEA. Congress stopped President Ronald Reagan’s attempt to close the Department of Education in 1982. Alarmist reports about American education’s risk of poor results thwarted his attempt. Has the Department of Education mitigated those risks in 30 years? The Department of Education’s main function is redistributing tax money to K-12 schools and to higher education. Every President since Reagan has expanded this function. In 2009 the Department will spend $667 for every household for a total of $78 billion. What does it do with the money? It
