The Case for Dissolving the Federal Department of Education: A Former Teacher’s Perspective

Introduction: Why This Matters

As a former teacher with over a decade in the classroom, I’ve seen firsthand the ways in which the federal Department of Education (DOE) has negatively impacted students, teachers, and local communities. I am not just making an abstract argument — I am speaking from the trenches of education, where real students and real teachers struggle under bureaucratic policies that do more harm than good.

At its core, the federal DOE is an unconstitutional overreach of power that undermines the 10th Amendment, which reserves powers not explicitly given to the federal government to the states. More importantly, it stifles local decision-making, burdens schools with excessive regulations, and has failed to improve education outcomes despite decades of increased funding and intervention. It is time for the DOE to be dissolved, and for states to reclaim full responsibility for education.

In this post, I will outline the major issues with the Department of Education, its violation of constitutional principles, and why states must step up to the plate to take full accountability for educational spending and quality. Finally, I will propose real, actionable solutions that would improve education for students, teachers, and parents alike.

The Department of Education: A History of Failure

The Department’s Origin and Overreach

The federal Department of Education was created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter as part of his campaign promise to the National Education Association (NEA), a major teachers’ union. Before its establishment, education was primarily a state and local responsibility, with the federal government playing a limited role. The DOE was established with the promise of improving educational outcomes, ensuring equal access, and supporting teachers. However, in the decades since its inception, it has done little to fulfill these promises while increasing its control over local education systems.

One of the first major policy overhauls by the DOE was the implementation of standardized testing and federal funding conditions, which began under the Reagan administration in the 1980s but significantly expanded under President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. This law tied school funding to student performance on standardized tests, forcing teachers to teach to the test rather than focusing on holistic learning. Later, in 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaced NCLB but maintained federal oversight of state education policies, despite claims of returning control to states.

The Decline in Educational Outcomes

Despite the DOE’s ballooning budget — now over $79 billion annually as of 2023 — educational outcomes have either stagnated or declined. Consider the following:

Standardized test scores have remained stagnant or declined since the DOE was created. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 9-year-old students’ reading and math scores declined between 2012 and 2022, despite record spending on federal education programs.

The achievement gap between wealthy and low-income students remains wide, despite federal interventions. In 2022, the NAEP reported that students from low-income backgrounds scored on average 26 points lower in reading and math than their wealthier peers.

The United States ranks lower in education than many developed countries, despite spending more per student than nearly any other nation. According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the U.S. ranked 25th in math, 13th in reading, and 18th in science in 2022, behind countries like China, Finland, and Canada.

The DOE has failed to deliver on its promises. If it were a private company, it would have gone bankrupt decades ago.

The 10th Amendment and the Unconstitutionality of Federal Control

The U.S. Constitution does not grant the federal government authority over education. The 10th Amendment clearly states:

“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.”

Education is not mentioned in the Constitution, meaning it should be left to the states. The existence of the DOE is a direct violation of this principle.

Federal involvement in education has led to one-size-fits-all mandates that ignore local needs and stifle innovation. Schools in rural Arizona do not have the same needs as schools in New York City, yet they are forced to follow the same federal guidelines. For example, the Common Core State Standards Initiative, introduced in 2009 and promoted by the DOE, forced a standardized curriculum onto states, despite widespread opposition from educators and parents. This is not only inefficient — it is unconstitutional.

The best way to fix education is to return power to where it belongs: the states and local communities.

How Federal Control Harms Students and Teachers

Excessive Bureaucracy and Red Tape

Teachers spend more time filling out paperwork to meet federal compliance than they do teaching. According to a 2019 survey by the American Federation of Teachers, teachers reported spending an average of 11 hours per week on paperwork related to federal mandates. Schools are forced to follow regulations that create mountains of administrative work rather than improving student learning.

Harmful Standardized Testing

The DOE has pushed high-stakes standardized testing as a measure of accountability. This has led to:

Teaching to the test rather than fostering critical thinking.

Increased stress on students and teachers.

Schools are being punished rather than supported.

For example, in 2013, New York schools saw over 20% of students opt out of standardized tests due to parent and teacher backlash. The federal government threatened to withhold funding if participation dropped too low, forcing states to comply against local wishes.

Lack of Local Control

Local schools and parents know what their children need better than Washington bureaucrats. Yet, the DOE dictates policies that force schools to comply with federal mandates, even when they do not serve students well.

A Call to Action: How to Put Education Back into the Hands of the People

Advocate for the DOE’s dissolution by contacting your state representatives and supporting legislation that shifts education control to the states.

Engage in local school boards. Attend meetings, vote in elections, and push for policies that prioritize students over bureaucracy.

Demand school choice. Support initiatives that allow parents to choose the best educational option for their children, including charter schools, homeschooling, and private schools.

Hold states accountable. Ensure your state government is transparent about how education funds are spent and that money goes to classrooms, not administrative overhead.

Encourage innovation in education. Support competency-based learning, apprenticeships, and alternative education models that prepare students for real-world success.

Education belongs to the people, not Washington bureaucrats. It’s time to take it back.