Sec. 3. Findings
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Congress finds the following: Principles of federalism embodied in the Constitution of the United States entrust authority over issues of educational policy to the States and the people and a Department of Education is inconsistent with such principles. Tradition and experience dictate that the governance and management of schools in the United States are best performed by parents, teachers, and communities. The intrusion by the Department of Education into education policy has not benefitted the quality of education in this Nation.
The Department of Education has weakened the ability of parents to make essential decisions about their children’s education and has undermined the capacity of communities to govern their schools. In the 35 years of its existence, the Department of Education has grown from 130 programs and a budget of $14 billion to over 230 separately authorized programs which cost nearly $70 billion annually. Meanwhile, education performance has deteriorated. The Department of Education has fostered over-regulation, standardization, bureaucratization, and litigation in United States education.
The Department of Education expends large amounts of money on its own maintenance and overhead. As an organization, it is inefficient, ill managed, and wasteful. Recent tests reflect poor results in mathematics and reading for American students compared with students from other nations. Only through initiatives led by parents and local communities with the power to act can the United States elevate educational performance toward an acceptable level. The Department of Education has been hostile to many promising reform ideas.