{"id":2373096,"date":"2024-11-25T08:04:59","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T13:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abolishing-the-ed-dept-is-just-the-first-step-in-fixing-schools\/"},"modified":"2024-11-25T08:08:10","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T13:08:10","slug":"abolishing-the-ed-dept-is-just-the-first-step-in-fixing-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abolishing-the-ed-dept-is-just-the-first-step-in-fixing-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Abolishing The Ed Dept. Is Just The First Step In Fixing Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fabolishing-the-ed-dept-is-just-the-first-step-in-fixing-schools%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2373096&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Last\u2064 week, Donald Trump nominated Linda McMahon, a well-known \u2064business figure and former head of\u200c the Small Business Administration, as his secretary of education. While critics might highlight her\u200b lack of traditional education experience, supporters\u2063 believe this absence could be beneficial, suggesting that her pragmatic, solution-focused approach\u200d could address the issues of rising costs and\u200b declining outcomes in \u200bK-12 education. Trump and some conservatives hope McMahon will work towards eliminating the Department of Education\u200b (DOE), aiming to end perceived leftist indoctrination in schools and\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-demands-action-on-parental-bill-of-rights\/\" title=\"House GOP demands action on parental Bill of Rights\">strengthen parental rights<\/a>.\u2064 However, the writer\u2014an experienced high school teacher\u2014argues that this \u200dperspective misrepresents the DOE&#8217;s role, which\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">primarily\u2062 involves providing financial \u2064support<\/a> \u200cfor\u2062 disadvantaged schools rather than controlling educational content or standards. The article also notes that while McMahon \u2063could help \u200breverse problematic policies related to curricula and disciplinary actions, significant \u200bchanges in public education will\u200b ultimately depend on state and local governance, where established\u2064 norms often resist reform. the piece reflects skepticism about how effective\u2064 changes can be implemented\u200d if \u2062educational\u200d structures remain unchanged.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Last week, <a href=\"https:\/\/catholicvote.org\/trump-to-nominate-2-business-leaders-his-transition-co-chairs-for-his-cabinet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump nominated Linda McMahon<\/a>, co-founder of the World Wrestling Entertainment company, the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump&rsquo;s first term, and two-time nominee for the U.S. Senate, as his secretary of education.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While Democrat critics will deride McMahon&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/education\/4999123-5-things-to-know-about-linda-mcmahon-trumps-pick-for-education-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lack of education experience<\/a>, many conservatives will see this as her greatest asset. Unlike current Secretary of Education <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ed.gov\/about\/ed-organization\/meet-secretary-of-education\/dr-miguel-cardona-secretary-of-education--biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Miguel Cardona<\/a>, an equity-obsessed educrat from Connecticut, McMahon will approach her duty with the necessary pragmatism and detachment that true reform requires. Like any successful businesswoman, she will find solutions, not excuses, for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/americas-education-system-is-a-mess-and-its-students-who-are-paying-the-price\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rising costs and declining performance<\/a> that have plagued American K-12 government schools for decades.<\/p>\n<p>As Trump has <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/trump-deliver-promise-ax-department-education\/story?id=115871847\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said on numerous occasions<\/a>, the ultimate hope is that McMahon will be the last secretary of education and work to eliminate the Department of Education altogether. He and many others believe this will help end the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/can-concerned-parents-turn-michigan-red-this-november-the-way-they-did-virginia\/\" title=\"Can Concerned Parents Turn Michigan Red This November The Way They Did Virginia?\">leftist indoctrination happening<\/a> in schools, restore parental rights, weaken teachers unions, and save the federal government a few hundred billion dollars each year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While all this sounds very nice, speaking as a high school English teacher who has worked in this system for nearly two decades, this rationale fundamentally misunderstands what the DOE <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/us-department-of-education-explainer-donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">does<\/a> and doesn&rsquo;t do.<\/p>\n<p>First and foremost, the DOE mainly cuts checks for schools that serve poorer students, certain special education programs, and bogus education studies that no one reads. It doesn&rsquo;t officially create curricula or mandate any pedagogical or disciplinary approaches, nor does it have much to do with national standardized tests, which are handled by a third party. For this reason, it&rsquo;s better to see the DOE as more of a welfare program than an educational one.<\/p>\n<p>That said, the DOE has overstepped its authority in the past decade by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theadvocate.com\/baton_rouge\/news\/federal-funds-used-to-get-common-core-into-states-influence-classroom-instruction-former-u-s\/article_bc4e96cf-0b75-54d6-b97f-6719875771d5.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">using federal funds to force states to use Common Core curriculum<\/a>. At the same time, Barack Obama used the department to send out <a href=\"https:\/\/manhattan.institute\/article\/obamas-school-discipline-guidelines-put-students-in-grave-danger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;guidelines&rdquo; for school discipline<\/a> that let countless delinquents off the hook in the name of equity. Schools that rejected these guidelines <a href=\"https:\/\/manhattan.institute\/article\/enforcing-classroom-disorder-trump-has-not-called-off-obamas-war-on-school-discipline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">faced punitive investigations and threats of lawsuits<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While most people have stopped paying attention to these controversies, they still create headaches for educators. Common Core has largely been accepted by most states &mdash; even if it goes by <a href=\"https:\/\/hslda.org\/post\/common-core-just-mostly-dead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">different names<\/a> now &mdash; and there is still a push to reduce punishments for misbehavior, particularly for nonwhite students. Indeed, reversing these ridiculous policies that have dumbed down most classrooms and made them unsafe and chaotic would be the best thing someone like McMahon could do.<\/p>\n<p>Outside of this, however, the influence of the DOE&rsquo;s absence would be limited. Public education is mostly controlled by state and local governments along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-promises-to-create-more-lgbtq-content-as-activists-attempt-to-coerce-them-to-stop-fl-passing-a-bill-banning-gender-identity-instruction-through-3rd-grade\/\" title=\"Disney Promises to Create More LGBTQ+ Content as Activists Attempt to Coerce Them to Stop FL Passing a Bill Banning Gender Identity Instruction Through 3rd Grade\">district school boards<\/a> and administrators. Even if these officials could finally raise academic and behavioral standards without fear of losing funding or being sued, most of them, even in conservative areas, have an interest in maintaining the status quo. After all, what are unhappy parents going to do? Leave?<\/p>\n<p>If a state sets up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/school-choice-can-help-save-public-educationif-done-right-opinion-1845375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">school choice program<\/a> that gives parents different options for schooling, then yes, they can leave. If not, then non-wealthy parents will simply have to deal with the neighborhood public school that has little incentive to change anything. These mediocre schools may produce students <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/06\/21\/1183445544\/u-s-reading-and-math-scores-drop-to-lowest-level-in-decades\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">who can&rsquo;t read, do basic math, or even function as independent adults<\/a>, but they receive their money all the same, and they can always rely on Democrats and establishment Republicans to vote on ever more funding.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, all these decisions are made by those who either have no experience in the classroom or have been out of the classroom for many years. They are the ones who think it would be a good idea to put <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/watch-mom-reads-graphic-gay-porn-found-in-school-library-to-school-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gay pornography in school libraries<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/nbc-out\/out-news\/california-district-pays-100k-settle-suit-support-students-gender-tran-rcna102559\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">facilitate transgender transitions for depressed adolescents<\/a>, and shut down <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/JZfe7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;gifted and talented&rdquo; programs<\/a> to close racial achievement gaps. For all the talk of &ldquo;stakeholders&rdquo; in public education, those of us with a personal stake &mdash; students, parents, and teachers &mdash; are inevitably forced to do our best in an inherently dysfunctional system.<\/p>\n<p>All of which is to say that getting rid of the DOE or at least diminishing its role would only be the first step. The next, much harder step would be voting for politicians and policies that would implement school vouchers for students, merit pay for teachers, expanded school accreditation, and much more standardized testing to hold educational institutions accountable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Not only would this incentivize schools to compete with one another for enrollment, but it would also incentivize decentralization in American school systems, giving more say to teachers and parents. Instead of massive one-size-fits-all districts, campuses, and classrooms, K-12 schools would be smaller, more specialized, and tailored to specific educational needs. Instead of the bureaucratic bloat, incompetence, and corporate anonymity that characterizes most faculties, there would be far more efficient, talented, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-parent-households-give-rural-boys-in-poverty-advantage-over-urban-peers\/\" title=\"Rural boys in poverty gain &#039;advantage&#039; over urban peers with two-parent households.\">close-knit communities<\/a> of educators with a shared mission.<\/p>\n<p>All of this will necessarily be part of a process that goes beyond a new DOE appointee making a few changes in federal policy. It will take all Americans to follow Trump&rsquo;s lead and do their part to bring down the educational leviathan in their states and cities. It may be daunting, but it&rsquo;s possible and certainly worth doing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Auguste Meyrat is an English teacher in the Dallas area. He is the founding editor of <a href=\"https:\/\/everymancommentary.substack.com\/\">The Everyman<\/a>, a senior contributor to The Federalist, and has written essays for Newsweek, The American Mind, The American Conservative, Religion and Liberty, Crisis Magazine, and elsewhere. Follow him on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EverymanComm\">X<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@meyrat\">Substack<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump nominated Linda McMahon as his education secretary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":551,"featured_media":2373097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Linda-McMahon-1280x853-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5152,45651,36586,44915,45652],"class_list":["post-2373096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-education","tag-educational-equity","tag-government-policy","tag-school-reform","tag-systemic-change"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Linda-McMahon-1280x853-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/551"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2373096"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2373100,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373096\/revisions\/2373100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2373097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2373096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2373096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2373096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}