By Fox News (Opinion) | Created at 2024-11-19 12:48:24 | Updated at 2024-11-22 05:22:22
2 days ago
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President-elect Donald Trump is exactly right to remove the federal government from our educational system. This is one giant step toward restoring parental authority and excellence in our schools.
America’s founders never intended for us to have a national Department of Education, and they specifically did not want the government intruding into education. They knew such overreach would lead to the destruction of our schools and our nation, and now we have modern proof that they were right.
Thank God, Trump seeks to dismantle the national Department of Education. It’s a constitutional move, and it cannot come soon enough!
Since our founders made clear that federal intrusion into education is destructive, how did we end up with a national Department of Education and massive federal influence over our schools?
Federal involvement in schools undermined education. Now, the Department of Education might be on the chopping block. (iStock)
The so-called teachers unions did it.
It all started in 1867 when President Andrew Johnson – at the behest of the commissioner of education and National Education Association – signed legislation to start a national Department of Education to collect data on our schools. The department was grouped with other federal departments at the time.
This allowed NEA to grow in influence and power over education. Slowly but surely, NEA successfully implemented its politically driven agenda, which included the removal of phonics instruction morality, Western Civilization, the classics, and many other destructive changes. NEA aggressively pushed for all teachers to be unionized too, even though teachers did not ask for their representation.
In 1976, NEA endorsed Democrat Jimmy Carter for president. When Carter was elected, his thank you gift to the NEA was an independent National Department of Education including a cabinet position.
This set a dangerous precedent of "educational" organizations meddling in politics to gain power and influence – exactly why our nation’s founders forbade federal influence in education. They knew education must be excellent and moral so that citizens can self-govern and protect our Republic, which is why they believed education was the responsibility of local townspeople. Parents ran the schools, hired the teachers, and oversaw curriculum decisions. The federal government and special interest groups were not invited.
In fact, between the late 1800s and 1930 (before teachers unions intruded) and when 80% of our school funding was from local sources, 20% from state sources and ZERO from the federal government, our students were thriving. Americans were highly successful across the educational spectrum, our country was flourishing, and our schools were the envy of the world.
Since NEA and the federal government took over our schools, student test scores have plummeted.
America now has 45 – 65 million functional illiterates. Many of these are high school graduates, yet they struggle to read well enough to manage their daily lives. That’s because our schools are failing our students. Kids are no longer actually being taught how to read, which can only be achieved through phonics instruction. Instead, they are faced with educational quackery like the "look-say method," "cuing," and "whole language" among other flat-out lousy teaching methods.
Test scores have declined since teachers unions and the federal government got involved in schools. FILE: Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, August 22, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Our test scores reveal the tragic truth, showing that 37% of 4th graders are below NEAP’s basic achievement level. Only 33% are at or above proficient.
The failures aren’t just academic. Union activists are indoctrinating our children to despise American values, God, their parents and our republic while simultaneously teaching them to love chaos, socialism and communism.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
Now, great teachers are retiring in droves because they cannot function under all the corruption and abuse. They are being replaced by activist "teachers," who joined the teaching profession to push political agendas. All this happened because radical unions were allowed to control our schools.
Labor union leaders, who are clueless about how to educate well, dictate almost all school curricula and policy decisions. Parents and teachers hardly have a voice anymore. That’s why we’re failing.
Make no mistake, these unions won’t stop until they have destroyed education and this country. And that’s not hyperbole. Every year, corrupt unions collect BILLIONS in dues – tax-free – and use the money to fund divisive political agendas and further the intentional destruction of our kids and our country.
No wonder NEA and its comrades are so scared of Trump’s promise to close the National Department of Education. Without it, unions and their special interests don’t have unfettered access to our kids or a direct hook into our school policy. Without it, parents and teachers can educate our children again without having to fight tooth and nail against radical, leftist ideologies coming from Washington, D.C.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
There is a lot to do to restore our schools – ending the reign of unions is the most fundamental. But, President Trump will begin to clean house when he closes the national Department of Education, cuts off federal funding to schools, and restores power and authority to parents and local townspeople.
President Trump, great teachers stand with you.
