The Federal Government’s Evolving Role in Education

The Federal Government’s Evolving Role in Education


Education in the United States has historically been the shared responsibility of local communities, states, and the federal government. Over the past century, the federal government’s role has steadily grown as education policy has been shaped by the evolution of civil rights, court cases, national priorities, and economic development. Education has also continued to play a large role in the development of the US citizenry, and has helped to create a shared national culture.

There are pros and cons to increased federal influence in education. Here are some of the reasons why this federal presence in education matters.

Social and Civil Rights-the federal government has introduced legislation to help protect student rights, including:

Title I-helps serve schools with high percentages of low-income students

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act-requires accommodations and services for students with disabilities

National School Lunch Program-helps provide access to healthy meals for students

Civil Rights Act-helps to protect against discrimination for race (Title VI), Gender (Title IX)

Equal Education Opportunities Act-helps provide opportunities to English language learners.

 Academic Standards-legislation has helped to set national standards of academic accountability, which can be both helpful and frustrating for educators. These pieces of legislation have created national conversations around standardized testing and school accountability.

No Child Left Behind (2001)

Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)

Federal involvement in education has grown significantly over the past century, and it has brought a lot of good things. It has also demanded increased accountability to federal agencies and has placed mandatory guidelines on states and communities. This is, in the aggregate, a positive relationship that helps to create and maintain satisfactory standards of education. Finding the right balance between national standards and local flexibility will likely always be a challenge, but it moves us in a positive direction.

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