Dana Goldstein

Well, we don't know if this will stand up legally in the courts, but that is the attempt, yes.

Well, we don't know if this will stand up legally in the courts, but that is the attempt, yes.

Yes, absolutely. And part of why this is such a big change is that it used to be not that long ago that both Republicans and Democrats agreed that the federal government had a big role to play in education and holding schools accountable for doing a good job in educating students and raising test scores in math and in reading. Right.

Yes, absolutely. And part of why this is such a big change is that it used to be not that long ago that both Republicans and Democrats agreed that the federal government had a big role to play in education and holding schools accountable for doing a good job in educating students and raising test scores in math and in reading. Right.

That consensus, which was not really controversial, has fallen apart with President Trump's Republican Party. The new highest value is not raising test scores, not holding schools accountable, but giving as much control as possible to individual parents. And in many ways, Kim, this is a vision that is at odds with the very reason the Department of Education was founded to begin with.

That consensus, which was not really controversial, has fallen apart with President Trump's Republican Party. The new highest value is not raising test scores, not holding schools accountable, but giving as much control as possible to individual parents. And in many ways, Kim, this is a vision that is at odds with the very reason the Department of Education was founded to begin with.

So the federal government has played a role in education since the 19th century, researching education, trying to disseminate best practices for how teachers can do their jobs better. But there was no federal Department of Education as a separate cabinet agency until 1979. And the idea was controversial. It was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter, but even some Democrats opposed the idea.

So the federal government has played a role in education since the 19th century, researching education, trying to disseminate best practices for how teachers can do their jobs better. But there was no federal Department of Education as a separate cabinet agency until 1979. And the idea was controversial. It was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter, but even some Democrats opposed the idea.

They didn't think it was necessary to have a whole separate bureaucracy to deal with education issues. And for President Ronald Reagan, the Department of Education was a huge sign of federal bloat, and he constantly talked about abolishing it.

They didn't think it was necessary to have a whole separate bureaucracy to deal with education issues. And for President Ronald Reagan, the Department of Education was a huge sign of federal bloat, and he constantly talked about abolishing it.

However, over the decades, the Department of Education really became part of the firmament in Washington and enjoyed plenty of support from both Republicans and Democrats. And that's because the programs that it ran. works on, like Pell Grants that help students pay for college and money for disabled students. Educational supports in public schools are really popular.

However, over the decades, the Department of Education really became part of the firmament in Washington and enjoyed plenty of support from both Republicans and Democrats. And that's because the programs that it ran. works on, like Pell Grants that help students pay for college and money for disabled students. Educational supports in public schools are really popular.

Yeah, absolutely. And for many years, this discussion, which had existed in the 70s and 80s about whether we need it, whether we want it, had kind of quieted down until the point under the Republican President George W. Bush in the early 2000s, the Republican Party was really united around the idea of a bigger federal role in education.

Yeah, absolutely. And for many years, this discussion, which had existed in the 70s and 80s about whether we need it, whether we want it, had kind of quieted down until the point under the Republican President George W. Bush in the early 2000s, the Republican Party was really united around the idea of a bigger federal role in education.

You know, one of the things that's helpful to remember is that George W. Bush with his idea of compassionate conservatism was really focused on education.

You know, one of the things that's helpful to remember is that George W. Bush with his idea of compassionate conservatism was really focused on education.

He had the idea that there was, quote, the soft bigotry, the bigotry of low expectations, of low expectations for many students in our nation's public schools, for low-income students, for Black and Hispanic and Native American students.

He had the idea that there was, quote, the soft bigotry, the bigotry of low expectations, of low expectations for many students in our nation's public schools, for low-income students, for Black and Hispanic and Native American students.

And he really wanted to push out standardized tests into the nation's schools so he could measure how kids were doing and require teachers and principals to help kids do better.

And he really wanted to push out standardized tests into the nation's schools so he could measure how kids were doing and require teachers and principals to help kids do better.