March 26 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump has moved to close the Department of Education on the grounds that it is inefficient and unnecessary and states and parents can better guide their children's learning needs.
While the United States spends far more money than any other country on education, its younger grade school students lag far behind their global peers in ability to read, write and perform math. But, while the evidence of insufficient retention of knowledge is powerful, will states and parents do a better job?
This is the wrong question. The more urgent crisis is being ignored. About 44% to 50% of all kindergarten through grade 12 teachers resign or leave the profession within five years -- and about 30% after three.
This is the most critical reason for educational shortfalls. Until this shortage is redressed, and soon, simply complaining that students do not learn is a false representation. Can states and parents fix this crisis without U.S. government help?
Combined federal, state and local funding for public K-12 schools is about $900 billion per year, or $17,700 per student. Public and private universities cost an average of about $30,000 a year per student. Interestingly, while the United States has the highest overall spending on education, adjusted for gross domestic product share, it is similar to most developed states.
Despite the country spending these amounts on education, critics argue that the United States still faces grave challenges in translating that investment into better educational outcomes, especially for STEM.
Between the Civil War and the turn of the century, free public schooling spread, becoming compulsory in many states. Learning was focused on basic literacy, math, morality and civics. Then localities provided funds that led to disparities between wealthier and poorer areas.
Up through World War II, John Dewey's progressive era focused on child-centered education, with hands-on learning and emphasis on critical thinking. But as industrialization emerged, vocational learning prepared students for the workforce. The wave of immigration led to education that prepared students and parents for citizenship by learning the language and customs.
One of the great additions to education was the GI Bill. This allowed returning war veterans to attend college. Many became teachers and were very good at it at the grade school and high school levels.
The major changes to education, from Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, which declared segregation unconstitutional, to Sputnik in 1957, which generated STEM, are well-known. And alarms have been sounded since. _A Nation at Risk,_ a 1983 federal report that warned of a "rising tide of mediocrity" in education, spurred calls for reform.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 required states to test students annually and imposed sanctions on underperforming schools. Common Core in the 2010s set voluntary national standards to unify learning goals, especially in math and English.
Renewed focus on addressing achievement gaps by race, socioeconomic status and disability emerged. Emphasis on critical thinking, collaboration, digital literacy and problem-solving were added to Increasing diversity among students.
As politics became more divisive, education was caught in the ideological crossfire between parties. The Republican Right saw charter schools and parental right to choose as the path to success. Democrats, supported by teachers' unions, dissented. But one outcome was unmistakable. Educational standards declined precipitously.
Similarly, universities were accused of being far more progressive and left wing. After the Oct. 7, 2022, Hamas atrocities in which more than 1,200 Israelis and a handful of Americans were slaughtered, student activists took over campuses, condemning Israel and supporting the terrorists. For many Americans, this was inconceivable and reminded the nation of the Vietnam War and racial protests.
Further, some rules were nonsensical. In some cases, schools were not required to inform parents if students requested sexual transitions largely from male to female. That immature children could make such a profound decision without parental knowledge was absurd.
What to do? Closing the Education Department, assuming Congress consents, is not the answer. Savings from cutting people are de minimis. And the transfer of payments to states and other organizations will continue.
The answer is simple. Education depends on competent professional people who are incentivized and given the necessary tools to teach well. Unless school districts can increase these benefits, elevating education standards will not occur. Instead of closing the Education Department, Congress and president should focus on the first-order crisis. We need more, good people to teach. But will we get them?
_Harlan Ullman is UPI's Arnaud de Borchgrave Distinguished Columnist; senior adviser at Washington's Atlantic Council; chairman of a private company; and principal author of the doctrine of shock and awe. His next book, co-written with General The Lord David Richards, former U.K. chief of defense and due out late next year, is_ Arc of Failure: Can Decisive Strategic Thinking Transform a Dangerous World? _The writer can be reached on X @harlankullman._
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