"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to
the people."
—Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Some highlights on this dinosaur:

- The department was formed in 1979 under the Carter administration. How did this behemoth come about? The National Education Association.

- There is nothing in the constitution that authorizes the congress to operate public schools.

- The department began with a 14 billion dollar budget. Over time, that budget has ballooned to upwards of 57.3 billion. After its creation, federal spending on education has increased TWICE the rate it had before.

- The creation of this department has literally had no positive effect whatsoever on the improvement of our children's education.

"The department’s own national history report card issued in May 2002 found that only 43 percent of the nation’s 12th graders had at least a basic understanding of U.S. history, unchanged from 1994, the last time the test was given. On one question, the majority of high school seniors chose Germany, Japan, or Italy as a U.S. ally in World War II."
(This is scary when you consider that these are the future voters of america)

Contrary to popular belief, spending has increased every year, under EVERY administration, while most test scores (i.e. reading) have remained flat or have dropped.

- No Child Left Behind:

"In its original form, the act included a number of reforms that would have allowed flexibility for districts and increased choice for parents—including choice of private schools—but most of these provisions were removed in committee.

The bill passed in June 2002 provided the Department of Education
with $27.9 billion for spending on NCLB programs. At the same time, it
perpetuated most of the older federal education programs, many of which
are ineffective and wasteful. The total cost for NCLB climbed to more
than $37 billion this year. Instead of decreasing the role of the federal government in education, NCLB places a plethora of mandates on local schools. Although some of the mandates prescribe what appear to be reasonable practices (like requiring that schools test students annually in reading and math and show annual progress), imposing them from Washington represents a departure from the American tradition that education is a state and local matter.

During his presidential campaign, Bush emphasized that he did not
want to become the ‘‘federal superintendent of schools.’’ But NCLB gives
the president and the federal government far too much power over local
schools and classrooms."

Any thoughts??

__________________
"A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done."
Fred Allen

"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
George Bernard Shaw

"Politics is the art of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."
John Galbraith

No one willing to take on the three headed monster known as the DOE?? Willing to keep it as business as usual I suppose?

__________________
"A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done."
Fred Allen

"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
George Bernard Shaw

"Politics is the art of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."
John Galbraith

I asy we get rid of it and let each state handle it on its own.

__________________
People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp92vkXcC0w

Up until 1979, that was pretty much the case. Then the NEA and Carter got together and came up with a plan to better our education....

With friends like the NEA, who needs an enemy?

__________________
"A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done."
Fred Allen

"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
George Bernard Shaw

"Politics is the art of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."
John Galbraith

I am in favor of removing the NEA/DOE from the face of the earth. I started my education in 1958 and we took tests every couple of years for the state to see how the schools were doing. If you can afford it private schools are the way to educate you kids. By and large the classrooms are smaller and the students get more of the teachers attention. Also, the school has more control in this setting, since it is costing the parent and this also requires performance on the students part.

__________________
An informed voter scares the Goverment lackeys.

An American first and always a Conservative.

My children have had a mixture of Public and private education. I definately prefered the private; discipline, structure, and the emphasis was on teaching and learning.

__________________
"A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done."
Fred Allen

"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
George Bernard Shaw

"Politics is the art of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."
John Galbraith

Ah yam a produck of publick edukashun. Ah wunt u ta stoppe picken on da NEA, Witout da teechers unin ah wud knot bee aple to reed ur rite.

Private education drains resources from the state system, which would make it a far more effective and postive experience for everyone. The private system really does just benefit those who can afford it, an obvious point maybe but, why should you with money have your kids get a better education?

Which is why we need vouchers. Funding for public education has increased every year since the Johnson administration, and the scores keep going down. Logically, by using those numbers, it would be a better argument to say that increased funding leads to lower levels of learning. Of course this is wrong, but it makes more sense than what was said in the quote above. The problems in public education are wide ranging, but funding is not why students are not succeeding. How about looking at diminishing parent support and the alarming lowering of standards? There are many other reasons why are test scores and learning levels are lower. This is the first time I have heard them at least partially blamed on private schools.

Im not saying that is the whole solution by any means. However as you say spending needs to be readdressed and increased considerably. Parental help also needs to be improved for those failing, but that in my opinion would require radical change in areas other than the education system. I still believe that these teachers who are at private schools because they get a bigger pay cheque should be put back into the public sector and it would improve it alot.