According to a new poll conducted by Data for Progress, a progressive think tank and advocacy group, the majority of likely voters oppose the president’s decision to abolish the U.S. Department of Education (ED) by executive order.
Sixty-one percent of survey respondents “somewhat” or “strongly” opposed the idea of eliminating the department, with 70% of likely voters who attended college opposing the plan.
But negative poll percentages have not stopped the president from moving forward as he clings to the notion – one which cannot be verified – that the federal bureaucracy is the barrier and reason why children aren’t learning more.
If the answer to improving test results and the academic achievement of children rests with transferring educational goals and curriculum into the hands of states, we fear that a lot of children will be left out in the cold without advocates who can ensure that no child is left behind.
Congresswoman Alma S. Adams (D-N.C.), a ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workplace Safety and a former teacher of 40 years, says dismantling the department would take billions away from the futures of more than 26 million students nationwide.
“It is cruel just for the sake of it and targets our most vulnerable children – students with disabilities who rely on the ED for special programming and funding,” Adams said. “Hungry kids use ED funds for free school lunches, oftentimes their only reliable meal throughout the day. Low-income students use their schooling to build a better life for themselves.”
Perhaps our children would be better served if, before dismantling the Department of Education, the president and members of Congress look at those states who are making progress on meeting or exceeding reading and math score goals and explore how they’re doing it.
Eliminating any national direction, guidance and plan and turning things over to the states sounds like an easy way to surrender, and there’s too much at stake to wave the white flag without carefully considering the impact.
Logically, one might expect that there will be significant differences in the methods used to educate children from one state to another. But without federal oversight in play, who will call state leaders on the carpet when vulnerable children are not given the resources they require or which they’re entitled to receive?
Educating youth is a monumental task but it’s the key to the future of our nation. To politicize the process by which we educate our children is more than absurd, it’s reckless. Even more, it paves the way for a wider difference between the opportunities that exist for children who come from financially secure environments versus those who are living in poverty.
Without standards in place that all states must follow, the belief that education is the most effective and efficient means of leveling the playing field in America will be nothing but a pipe dream.
Let’s pull up our sleeves, stop pointing fingers and work together. We can solve this problem. We can improve public education. Our children deserve as much.