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Do we need a Department of Education? There's a good reason to ask this question. Before 1979, the American

public education system, which was almost entirely managed by state and local governments,

was widely acknowledged as the best in the world. Almost half a century later, no one can make

that claim. Right now, the United States is ranked 28th in the world in math and 36 in literacy.

One in four eighth graders lacks a basic proficiency in math. One in three are not reading at grade level.

Only 13% are proficient in U.S. history. In certain cities, the numbers are truly appalling.

For example, in Chicago, 22 schools didn't have a single student who was proficient in reading comprehension,

and 33 schools didn't have a single student who was proficient in math. It's not a money problem.

According to the most recent numbers,

the United States spends $17,000 per student.

In Chicago, it's $29,000.

So what changed?

How did our education system go from outstanding to embarrassing?

There are many reasons, of course,

from too much screen time to not enough engaged parents, but we can be confident in one conclusion.

The Department of Education hasn't helped, and the case can be made that it has actually made

things worse. Again, it wasn't for lack of money. In 2024, the department's budget was

$268 billion. Where's all that money going? And for what? To answer that question, we need to go back to

1979. The president that year was Jimmy Carter. The 1980 election was closing fast and Carter's chances

were not looking good. Beset by the Iran hostage crisis, crippling inflation and gasoline shortages,

...