Government Involvement in

Education

Ema Condori-Teves
Salt Lake Community College
POLS 1100
25th April, 2017
There are many pros that come from the federal government having a role in primary

education in the United States. Although schools are run by each States, they receive federal
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funding. One of the pros, which I think is most important today is that government regulation

allows for families who normally wouldnt be able to afford everything that is included in their

child's education, to have that opportunity for their children to be able to go to school for little to

no cost. The government provides part of the funding that allows these students to resources

necessary for an education. This is important and includes the policy made in 1965 of No Child

Left Behind Act or better known as Title I. As stated by the program, Title I, Part A of the

Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA) provides financial assistance to

local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of

children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state

academic standards. Federal funds are currently allocated through four statutory formulas that

are based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each state. This

policy allows for student across the United States to have a more equal opportunity to the same

education. Education proves to be very important and can determine in which direction each

individual's future will lead to when the resources to learn and the education is provided for all

individuals. The funding provided from the government for these schools allows schools to be

able to purchase classroom tools that will also help better the students education.

States also have separate control and regulation over the schools in their states as long as

the federal government requirements are also met. If one State is doing financially well it will be

able to provide more access to schools and educational resources in their State, but an issue that

can arise is that not all states provide resources and access to these tools. The federal

government helps in regulating this so that education can be more accessible to all students more

equally. A different issue arises from private schools, since they are funded and run by certain

organizations, businesses, and parents.

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In 1994, the Federal Charter School Program was created, as a way to fund charter

schools. Charter schools are funded mainly through their enrollment rate, but also from private

grants or donations. Unlike public schools, charter schools do not receive the same amount of

funding, in fact they only get about 64% of what a regular public school would get. Utah,

specifically has one of ten students who attend a charter school. Not only are charter schools

funded less for their students, they are also not funded for the basic necessities that public

schools are, which is why they tend to struggle. However, charter school attendance is

exponentially increasing, which could mean a growth in public funding which could be

advantageous.

Another valuable resource that comes from federal government regulation in education is

the food that is provided for students families who qualify. The National School Lunch Program

(NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools as

well as residential child care systems. The School Breakfast Program is also a federally funded

program that many schools participate in. Over 100,000 schools K-12 benefited from this

program that provided free or reduced lunch to 30.3 million children daily at a cost estimated to

be around $12.6 billion. This free or reduced lunch program extends to the summer, when

children are typically out of school, providing free lunch and breakfast to those under the age of

18. This is beneficial because it provides the nutrients necessary for the optimal learning of the

students. Students wont have to worry on how they are going to find food, and spend more time

on learning.

It is argued that education is a local or state issue more than the federal government.

Partly because the federal government isnt as committed to what is going on in the local level

and it seems counterproductive to have the federal government have a say in something they
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arent fully engaged in on a local level. This is usually retaliated with the standardized testing

that a portion of students, parents, and teachers dont approve of for many reasons. Under the

George W. Bush education era, the federal government required states to issue standardized tests

and report back on the student's performance. Standardized testing is used to evaluate the

schools and see how well the students are doing and reflects on the teachers whom have been

required to teach their students through the common core subjects each year. Although many

don't always agree with it, it is included with the benefits from the programs that federal funding

provides.

Common Core, which was implemented under the No Child Left Behind act, which was

launched around 2009 by state leaders and governors as well as commissioners of education in

48 states, 2 territories, and the district of Columbia through their membership in National

Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Common core is typically viewed as a federally

dictated system, and is very controversial among students, teachers, and parents. The common

core though, was put out by states and technically not the national government. Many argue that

common core is very restrictive and attacks the State's right to control education and ultimately

doesnt benefit the students and can be rather counterproductive. The common core though,

initially was created aiming to raise the achievement level of students across the country. These

standards were created so that students may demonstrate their ability to meet the standards to

eventually be prepared to enter entry-level college courses. Still, it is argued that the quality of

these standards have not been grounded in research and have not been appropriately

benchmarked.

Included in the Every Students Succeeds Act or ESSA signed by Obama, No officer or

employee of the federal government shall, through grants, contracts, or other cooperative
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agreements, mandate, direct, or control a state, local education agency, or schools specific

instructional content, academic standards and assessments, curricula, or other program of

instructionincluding any requirement, direction, or mandate to adopt the Common Core State

Standards.

School provides a safe place for children. Under the Fourteenth amendment everyone has

equal protection under the law. The Fourteenth Amendment says that States must apply the law

equally to all people and cannot discriminate against groups of people. For these reasons and

many more, prime examples such as the Little Rock 9 and other minority students were able to

attend schools that provided a better education. Before this, minority students werent educated

or were forced to go to schools with subpar education compared to all white schools. Although

the Fourteenth amendment wasn't created isnt to be specific to education, it impacts education

greatly. Not very long ago, segregation in schools, under the separate but equal laws determined

by the Plessy vs Ferguson case, were in fact not equal at all. The Brown Vs Board of Education

applied the Fourteenth amendment to declare that school segregation is illegal. As stated by the

Constitutional Rights Foundation, while education may not be a "fundamental right" under

the Constitution, the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that when a

state establishes a public school system, so that no child living in that state may be denied equal

access to schooling.

So, how did government regulate education in the past? When you think of government

involvement way back in history, it didn't always come with benefits. An example of this could

be when the natives were forced away from their families and put into boarding schools. The

purpose of this was to assimilate the natives through their children to adapt to white men's

values and views on religion, economy, government, etc. They prohibited them from speaking
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their native language, they cut off all their hair, they were forbidden to express their culture, and

the treatment they received was harsh.The astounding part was that this whole system was

mandated from the federal government. The United States government started sending Native

American Indians to off-reservation boarding schools in the 1870s, through this they operated as

many as 100 boarding schools for American Indians, both on and off reservations.

The federal government also had a say in how religion is handled in schools.Through the

Engel vs Vitale court case decided in 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for

state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools.

Prayer in school violated the First Amendment because it represented establishment of religion.

In the District v. Schempp Supreme court case, it was decided that declared school-sponsored

Bible reading in public schools in the United States was unconstitutional.

Another way the federal government being involved in education is through the headstart

program. Although some argue that the programs funding should be cut, the program plays an

important role in society today. The Head Start program is a Federal program that promotes the

school readiness of children from birth to age five from low-income families. The programs

provides health, nutrition, and most importantly, an early childhood education. This federally

funded program was launched 1965, and in 1981, the Head Start Act helped expand the program.

The National Head Start Association or NHSA for short, is the voice for more than 1 million

children, 200,000 staff and 1,600 Head Start grantees in the United States. So, why is this

important? The program itself has helped over a million children and continues to provide

services for children from low income families the equal opportunity to an education. To cut the

program completely or to cut fund from the program not only negatively affects all the children

and families who benefit from the program financially, but it also puts these children at a
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educational disadvantage, as well as leaving the staff members who work with this program

without a job.

A very debatable and important question is whether the federal government has the right

to intervene with education. Could that direct involvement somehow violate the 10th

amendment, which states that the Constitution provides the basis in legal theory for making

education a function of the states. It reads, "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." Federal government involvement and regulation in schools is not going away anytime

soon because ultimately, the federal government provides funding necessary for many programs

to run in schools.

Some current changes that have occurred, which is very relevant in determining what

direction schools will follow in the future is our new addition of secretary of education. Betsy

DeVos has been officially confirmed to be the secretary of education these past few months and

her representation as the secretary of education has raised a lot of questions among the public.

There are many questions about her plans for the future of education. A very controversial

subject that she has suggested was the plan to privatize public education. This would require

public local funding for schools. Many argue that public schools are already under funded with

federal funding help, so to shift over to public support for private schools would not be beneficial

to the students.

The reasons why this is relevant is because I, along with the majority of students in the

United States somehow benefit from federal funding for our education. Education is important

and a requirement for all students to attend in the United States (at least until the age of 16). I
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have attended Title I elementary and middle schools, and am currently attending a Title I charter

school that receives federal funding, and recognize the benefits that federal funding provides.

Although the school I attend does not follow regulation such as the common core, it receives a

helpful portion of its money from the state.

Education is not exactly a constitutional right, like free speech and assembly, but it is

important enough to warrant constitutional protection. Students are protected against

discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or disability, or ethnicity through the fourteenth

amendment. School programs that are federally funded help students to receive free lunch, or

even educational resources at a little to no cost. Public schools that are funded by the government

gives every child a chance to attend school and receive the education they need. The government

intervening with schools has had its ups and downs. Forcing American Indians to attend schools

and rid of their culture is an example on how the government has had too much control on

schools. Helping to fund programs, educational supplies, and allowing protection to the students

is a beneficial intervention of the government to the schools.

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