A Conservative Agenda for Federal Edu-Policy
by Frederick M. Hess • Sep 25, 2012 at 6:31 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
Cross-posted from Education Week
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Yesterday, in the new issue of the quarterly National Affairs, Andrew Kelly and I argue that it's possible to devise a coherent, principled, and limited vision of the federal role in education-- and that such a vision offers an overdue and crucial alternative to the well-intentioned overreaching that has characterized federal ed policy for over a decade. We begin by observing:
The conservative approach to education policy is nothing if not confused. Conservatives cheer top-down federal standards and accountability while demanding bottom-up parental choice. They call for eliminating the federal Department of Education, but support spending on major federal education programs like Title I aid for disadvantaged students, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and student loans. They treat restoring "local control" as a panacea, while neglecting the fact that "local control" strengthens the grip of teachers' unions. They
