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The Evolving Role of Government in Education Essay

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The Evolving Role of Government in Education
Lisa M. Turner
EDU 310
Leah Barley
July 17, 2011
The Evolving Role of Government in Education State and federal governments were not always a part of the education system in the United States. The United States Constitution did not consider schooling and education. When a new nation was founded, the authority of school functions and operations were delegated to local school districts. Over the years many changes have been made in regards to the authority of schools. State and federal governments are more involved now than they were years ago. States began assuming more responsibility for schools and education after World War II (Guthrie, 2002). This essay will discuss and describe how the evolving role of state and federal government in U.S. education, different cases and laws that have evolved or had an impact on education, and an analysis of the church/state debate in public education. There were originally two models for local school districts: the New England model and the Southern model. The New England model enacted the Old Deluder Satan Act in 1647, which established township school districts. Schools were local or municipal, school boards consisted of laypersons, and the school boards were viewed as a “special” government and their authority was limited to education. The Southern model established parishes, and these states had a heavy reliance on county government. During the early 20th century, Americans began viewing the education system as ineffective because it relied on small local school districts too much. Academic and business leaders fought to get rid of small and rurally dominated school boards. This became known as the school district consolidate movement, and it helped eliminate districts and financial help allowed the consolidation of some districts into larger schools. The consolidation reduced the number of school districts to 14,000 by 2000 (Guthrie, 2002). Many changes have taken place over the years, and the government plays a much larger role now. The U.S. Constitution does not mention education, but there are several amendments that have a significant impact on the operations of public schools as well as the conduct of students and teachers. These amendments protect individuals and restrict the behavior of school employees and the schools as a whole. These amendments are the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment. The Constitution does not give Congress the authority over education therefore Congress cannot directly administer public schools. However there are many federal laws which impact education. Congress gains control by offering federal funds to states. The acceptance of this money means that the state and school boards agree to comply with certain civil rights and program conditions (Underwood, 2011). Each state constitution has a provision for education. State legislatures are required to act within the state and federal constitutions as well as within federal legislation and regulations if federal funds have been accepted. The state legislatures help set funding, create school districts, establish dismissal procedures for teachers and students, and set certification requirements. Most state legislatures delegate the majority of the power to regulate the public education systems to the state departments of education. The actual operation of schools has been delegated to the local school boards. The school boards govern the school districts. They have to follow all of the state and federal constitutional provisions, regulations, and statutes. The school boards are responsible for carrying out the day-to-day operations of education, and they must do so by following the policies that set in place. The duties and powers of the school board is defined by each state, and some statutes are very general and others are very specific (Underwood, 2011). In 1950, U.S. Congress approved the Public Law 81-815 and 81-874 which was an extension of the Lanham Act, and it gave assistance to local school districts for construction and cost of public educational activities (Herrington & MacDonald, 2003). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 altered the original requirements for impact laws to give assistance to areas that were affected not only by military personnel but also to areas with high poverty rates and rapid growth areas. The 85th Congress enacted The National Defense Education Act of 1958 (NDEA) as Public Law 85-864 on September 2, 1958 (Ehrensal, 2008). This legislation was based on beliefs that education was linked with military research, and it was an important component of cold war strategies. The new law provided federal funds to the targeted areas. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was established in 2001. This act has created national uniformity (English, 2006). States are required to test all students in grades 3 through 8 annually in mathematics and reading, and the test must be aligned with the state proficiency and standards. These laws and acts have impacted school systems, but the church/state debate has impacted schools as well. Many years ago churches played a large role in the education system, and it was believed that God was everywhere. It was considered a way of learning morals and values. It was believed that churches could impact a person’s character. The separation of church and state took place in 1791, and the idea of God and the good of humanity were destroyed. This separation impacted the public school system. God has slowly been removed from classrooms, graduation ceremonies, and sporting events. Religion has been removed the curriculum. The First Amendment has created much debate of the clause freedom of religion. Some people believe that church should still be in schools while others believe it takes their freedom of religion away from them. Students are subjected to religions or customs that may be against or different from their own beliefs, so religion has been removed as much as it can be. The education system has changed a lot over the years. Authority once belonged to the schools, and the schools were either a parish or a township school district. After World War II, changes began taking place in how schools were operated, and the states became more responsible. A consolidation of schools took place to create larger schools. Congress gives federal funds to schools and this gives them some control because the schools have to obey different stipulations for receiving the money. Each state has a set of provisions that they must follow. States are responsible for setting budgets and many other tasks. State boards must follow a set of standards and rules for carrying out job duties. Many laws and acts have been created since the government has become more involved with the educational system such as Public Law 81-815 and 81-874, Public Law 85-864, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the National Defense Education Act of 1958, and the No Child Left Behind Act. Another change that has taken place in the educational systems is the separation of church and state. Churches played a large role in schools a long time ago, but in today’s school systems, it does not play a role at all. Change is inevitable, but change is not always what is best.
References
Ehrensal, P. A. (2008). National Defense Education Act. In C. J. Russo (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Education Law, (Vol. 2). (pp. 573-575) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc. Retrieved July 15, 2011, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: http://go.galegroup.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=canyonuniv
English, F. (2006). Control of Education, State. Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration. (Vol. 1) (pp. 213-216). Thousand Oaks, CA. Retrieved July 15, 2011 from Sage Reference.
Guthrie, J. W. (2002). State educational systems. In J. W. Guthrie, Ed., Encyclopedia of education (Vol. 6) (2nd ed.) (pp. 2331–2334). New York: Macmillan Reference. Retrieved July 12, 2011 from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|CX3403200580&v=2.1&u=canyonuniv&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w
Herrington, C. & MacDonald, V. (2003). Impact Aid, Public Laws 815 and 874. In J. W. Guthrie Ed., Encyclopedia of Education, (Vol. 4) (2nd ed.) (pp. 1108-1109) New York: Macmillan Reference. Retrieved July 15, 2011, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: http://go.galegroup.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=canyonuniv
Underwood, J. (2011). Who controls public schools? What rules affect you?. Educational Horizons (Vol. 89, No. 3) (p. 28). Retrieved July 15, 2011 from Wilson Web

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