What Would Happen if Dept. of Education Were Closed?
Hey, Texplainer: One of the federal agencies Rick Perry managed to remember during Wednesday's GOP debate is the U.S. Department of Education. He says he wants to close it. But what exactly would that mean?
First, Gov. Rick Perry's proposal isn't new. The U.S. Department of Education was given cabinet-level status in 1979, and it's been a favorite bugaboo of conservatives ever since. During his 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan vowed to abolish it, although he was never able to do so.
In the 2012 campaign, Perry also is not the only one to ...
Comments (20)
Sheri Alexander via Texas Tribune on Facebook
it proves just how out of touch these anti-DOE people are considering they would shut it down while we rank lower and lower on the world's best educated countries. how can we be #1 coutnry in the world with this? it's embarassing. future teacher will never let it happen. pro education is patriotic!!!! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/us-falls-in-world-education-rankings_n_793185.html
Barbara Shannon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
We would be a lot better off.
Gary Malone via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Sherri, thanks for the link, just shows how poorly the Department of Education had performed. Its policies and lack of real standards had "dumded down" several generations of Americans.
Ryan Winston
That's what disappoints me so much about the Republican candidates. They are all about sound bites and crowd-pleasing rhetoric. I'm tired of this "American Idol" style candidacies, and wish that there were far more substance in these events. I'm currently working towards my online Masters of Education at this site: http://www.cu-portland.edu/ and as a future teacher, I'm sorely upset with the way these debates are being conducted.
Bill Eaves via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Our Education system would improve
Frances Demps via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Bill, how would education be improved? To make such a definitive statement, you have facts to back it up, right?
Randeep Walia via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Frances- let's not a little thing like facts get in the way of a good old fashioned insane Conservative soundbite.
Janet Thomas
What would happen if they shut down DOE? Well the kids might really get educated. Why is Home schooling growing? Because parents are tired of their kids not getting educated. They excell to the point that they outpace kids in public schools and there are now scholorships to Ivy league schools for home schoolers. The public education system has been dumbed down to the lowest common denominator, 50% on the TAKS is considered passing, colleges are having to provide remedial classes for kids that graduated at the top of their class in high school, school districts are kept afloat that have no business operating and kids are being forced to have liberal force fed to them with no dissenting opinion allowed, the waste in the public schools is mind numbing and there are teachers who are beyond incompetent still teaching because they are a protected class in the public education sector who wouldn't be given a second look in private schools. Shut it down!!!
audrey fisher
Perry is taking his cues from TPPF, which is in lockstep with ALEC. If anyone is serious about educating future generations, Perry advocates that the only way to get that done is via "privatization". Hence his Executive order to endorse WGU. Why has he trying to separate State University budgets for education and research, because then the State can defund "research".
In the silliest ploy, the TEA has on-line education program. Take a look: one course on economics - and no one should be surprised that it is Free-Market and it's benefits.
That means - teach the students one theory ONLY!
More proof: SB3025: contract with students mandatory. Now I would urge you to read the original bill and see what the GOP dream would be: make a student sign a contract about how they would finish their degree in 4 years....and they would be unable to change their major - huh? If I wanted to be a rocket scientist and found that it was not what I thought it was, sorry, you have to finish.
Perry et al don't really give a darn about education if they can't make money from the endeavor! Start the brainwashing early and make sure it continues. The repubs will point to any department that is not perfect and say: SEE, it isn't working, so get rid of it.
David Spratt
It has been proved so many times that if you really want to increase costs, decrease efficiency and promote waste and fraud , the surest way is to turn over management to the Federal Government. A one size fits all approach to education is not the answer. Programs and requirements for inner city schools may not be applicable or even necessary for a school in rural North Dakota. This is the mentality that exists and is extremely pervasive , that he government from which all bounty flows is totally separate from the people themselves. Most would say simply ' The money comes from Washington.' What exactly does that mean? There is a never ending supply flowing from a spring somewhere in Washington? This promotes a ' no skin in the game ' mental attitude. If programs are not working then the answer must surly be to have more money. Choice and personal responsibility is the best way to insure any product or service meets the needs of those who are purchasing them.
Nobody would suggest that the government mandate a single cell phone manufacturer be the sole provider of cell phones or any other product. You would be assured that few features would be offered , it would only work 50% of the time, and probably cost 4 times as much. There would be no incentive for improvement because there would be no competitive product offered. It would be a case where this is the phone offered, take it or do without. The fact that parents are not involved is not hard to understand. There is very little they can do now to guide or shape the educational programs within the schools. It is a case of why even waste your time or bother to voice an opinion , since whatever the government says or those administrators running the system decide, that is the way it will be done.
Returning control back to local level and making people feel their opinions , and ideas matter would improve participation and a feeling that they might make a positive difference. A certain level of funding could be given the states in block grants without restrictions on usage as long as it actually goes to education. It would then be up to the people of that state to make sure this happens. Too many now expect government to tell them what is good for them , and they have gotten used to it.
audrey fisher
David:
1. All students need to learn the basics. It seems that you think that not everyone needs the "same education". Not everyone should be able to learn how to use a PC -because not everyone has one? What is taught in the inner cities should be different from the burbs, really? It sounds like you are advocating that students be taught only at the lowest denominator rather than the highest standard - regardless of location.
2. Education is not and should not operate on a business model. That serves only a select few who can purchase the "best".
3. If all educational requirements etc was returned to the local community - then let's say you don't want students to learn about "X", so you don't teach it. For the sake of argument, let's talk Science: If a student is your community is not taught scientific theory then how would they compete with those who understand that theory (which FTR is a component of, oh let's say Healthcare). Is it okay not to teach a theory that leaves students behind the local community doesn't "like the implication".
4. In the local is better meme. I would point out that in 1992, Ginny Gramm as head of TPPF decided to push her personal agenda which was to get environmental education out of TX text books. As a result, we have many born and bred citizens who don't know anything about this science because it was never taught....so TX is the prime example of dumbing down.
No gov't agency is perfect, but then neither is any business. But destroying an agency, just because it isn't perfect and because it has become a GOP talking point is not a good reason to eliminate it and to leave the future generations uneducated in a manner that would put them at a distinct disadvantage - outside their homegrown society.
Agree or disagree, but as we compete at the global level - we will either engage and compete at that level or we will fall behind....you seem to advocate for behind, because your local community decided that basic 3 R's is more than sufficient.
In a LOL: which department has the largest boondoggle and lost money: DEFENSE - if we were as a country to get rid of inefficient / wasteful / lost monies....why not start at the top?
David Spratt
Audrey , You seem to be the prime example of someone who has no faith whatsoever in an individual making his own decisions. You seem to assume most parents would opt for a bare minimum education . This makes as much sense as saying most parents want their children to work harder and face more adversity than they did. I support every single person trying to be the very best they can be and being OFFERED opportunity not FORCED to comply. In certain instances parents do not want their children taught X . Perfect example is the recent Sex Ed programs in NY teaching bestiality, pornography , homosexuality , sexual positions and techniques to 12 year olds. Is this an example of valuable information that if not passed on would inhibit ones educational experience? Despite your low opinion of parents in general and their ability to have ultimate control over what and how their children are taught. I on the other hand have great confidence in the overall intelligence and the ability of those same parents to insure their children have greater opportunity and a better life than they had. Many people do not need the governemnt to determine our course in life.
James Stephens via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Education would improve because since it was created, education has gone downhill ever since
Jon Roland
The way to begin any policy analysis is to determine which if any of the alternatives is constitutional. Contrary to the views of some critics of the Department of Education, there is actually some constitutional authority for a federal role in education. However, that role is confined to prescribing militia training, and funding it to the extent of that congressional power. Now militia includes everyone, especially children, and militia training can be considered to cover all the main subjects of education -- everything that would be taught in a military academy -- but with a focus on defense against threats to public rights, safety, and health. That would indicate military schools.
At the state level, the constitutional focus is somewhat different: to turn out good citizens, able to perform the functions needed in such fields as policy, law, and government.
At the family and local level, the focus is on educating for economic productivity. Parents and the local community want the kids to be able to make a living and produce the goods and services needed by the community. That focus is more vocational.
These also represent a hierarchy of importance: defense is most important, followed by governance, followed by productivity. They are all important, but we have allowed the last to become emphasized at the neglect of the first two.
As for funding, that needs to be put in perspective. Kids who are motivated to learn will, regardless of whether they have schools, teachers, textbooks, or anything else. If they are not motivated, then all the money thrown at them will be wasted, and it largely has been.
My grandfather taught in the era of the one-room schoolhouse, using the Lancasterian Method. See http://lancasterian.org/ The replacement of that method by the Mann Method of grouping kids by age into classes and trying to regiment their development has been a disaster. It is time to undo that mistake.
dormand long
Any government agency which fails to effectively achieve its mission should be curtailed or eliminated.
If all that a DOE does is to issue mandates, many unfunded, and to approve curriculum constracts for friends of the Administration in office while there are superior alternatives available, there is little need to keep it open.
Best practices, continuous improvement management can mitigate virtually any challenge.
We need to study those programs which have lead to great success in Finland and in several of the Asian countries if we do not want to sink to second or third tier levels in global competiitiveness.
If we fail to develop a critical mass of future leaders who are able to implement innovative products and procedures, we are destined to slip from global leadership.
Please remember that the taxes on the future earnings of those students in school today will provide the funding for your Social Security and Medicare!!!!
Do I now have your attention?
Dot Pate
If it is not in the Constitution then dump ALL of the Departments of .....
voteforamerica
If the system is not working must be replace. The education system in our United States become a tool to destroy our country's values, religion and the ability of our people to learn accountability, responsibility, leadership and patriotism. This Government owns our schools and is in their best interest to maintain the people uneducated and ignorant so they can become dependents of this corrupt Government. Knowledge is freedom and this Government wants for us to become economic slaves, they play a charade to make the people believe that they care about education, but their actions are not of caring to get the best results with what we got to work to improve this system. Public Education is a mess and needs to be replace.
Francisco Canales via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The private sector will do a better job; our schools had become a breeding ground, for gangs, drug traffickers and prostitution, inter cities are a huge problems for educators because the system do not give them the power to implement disciplinary action; they are afraid of sues or legal action from the parents that foster ill behavior.
Peggy Venable
The US Dept of Education spends almost $70 billion and educates no one. I was the first White House Liaison for the Department of Education under Ronald Reagan when the budget was $15 billion. I saw first-hand just what the Department did and can attest to the fact that the Department educates no one. I was disillusioned that we didn't even try to eliminate the Department in the Reagan Administration. It's long overdue. Students would be better served for those dollars to go directly to classrooms across the country. When this Department was pulled from HEW and created, it was another of Jimmy Carter's mistakes. The federal government does not have a role in education.
audrey fisher
Oh My, must be a very slow day when you (Peggy V) have finally finished sending out emails begging for contribution to take up the TPPF via AFP effort to end public schooling, ie end DOE.
I would suggest that reader's do their homework, read up on the 2012 budget, see how much legislation passed in 2011 will go into effect in 2012 and see how much they have slashed Public Education Funds.
To wit: no federal funds and no state funds. Now maybe you think that is great, you don't have kids or grandkids who may need an education on the basic skills like reading, science and math...afterall, they will never learn about any scientific method (it's all biblical) but they will be able to quote scripture.
For those who think the state's educational standing is a result of Fed, please grab a mirror...you are the very individuals who are ignoring what the State Legislature is doing to dismantle the entire idea of public education and installing their own fundamentalist ideas will lead to the ultimate demise of our country.