Yesterday's signing ceremony of an order aimed at winding down the U.S. Department of Education raises a critical question: who should have control over education — federal officials or state and local communities?  Pundits and politicians are unlikely to call it by its name, but this is a deb ate over federalism and the extent to which individuals believe in this founding principle of self-governance. Spurred partly by the pandemic and concerns over the direction of the nation's education system, American parents seem to grasp the idea that local or personal control over their children's schooling is better than federal control. States have followed suit, but the Department of Education has not. As the conflict rages on, it's helpful to consider what has happened at each level over the last few years. The pandemic and subsequent school closures revealed the failures of America’s education system, which had been on the decline long before 2020. For the first time, parents discovered what and how their children were being taught — and the picture was troubling.   What followed was a parent-led movement for more input into their child’s education. School choice programs passed in more than 20 states since 2021, including Education Savings Accounts programs, tax-credit scholarships and improved open enrollment policies that allow a student to transfer to a district school beyond the one to which they are residentially assigned. These reforms empower American families with more education options, especially those from low-income backgrounds or failing school districts. Homeschooling also surged during and after the pandemic, and multiple states advanced legislation that made it easier for families to adopt this customized learning environment. Thousands of parents and education entrepreneurs launched alternative learning models such as microschools and learning pods, and states like Utah and Georgia have responded by easing burdensome regulations that would have otherwise hindered these models’ proliferation. Fueled by a sense that education had strayed from its fundamental objective, several states, including Florida and Nebraska, passed curriculum transparency laws to give parents a better picture of what their children were being taught. A handful of others, including Kansas and Oklahoma, have enacted Science of Reading laws that are proven to improve reading comprehension and proficiency.  While states took bold steps to empower families and improve academic outcomes, the federal government responded with draconian and discriminatory measures that often prioritized political agendas over student success. In 2021, the widespread clashes between school board members and parents escalated even further. Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland sent a memo to the FBI and Department of Justice, directing the agencies to coordinate with local law enforcement over threats to school board members. Garland issued the guidance to FBI and the Justice Department after the National School Boards Association, at the request of then-Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, sent a letter to former President Joe Biden, suggesting that threats and acts of violence at school board meetings might be “domestic terrorism.” These high-profile disputes were brought on by a growing dissatisfaction among parents about school curricula and continued closures. Despite the rising frustration from parents, the Department of Education seemed disengaged from their concerns and continued to prioritize politics over students. Throughout his tenure as Education secretary, Cardona tended to focus an inordinate amount of attention on “woke” politics rather than policies that would address the worsening academic outcomes. Instead of tackling declining reading and math scores — particularly among Black students, who have borne the brunt of the nation’s educational decline. The department responded to the situation by offering grants to schools to teach critical race theory and other ideological frameworks. This contrast highlights a fundamental truth: The most effective education policies originate closer to home. The American founders recognized this when they enshrined federalism in the U.S. Constitution through the 10th Amendment, leaving education to the states — and for good reason. In five years, we’ve seen the states give children more education options while working to improve academic outcomes. The federal government, meanwhile, has focused on pushing political agendas at the expense of students.  As the debate continues, it is important to recognize that real education reform happens at the state and local level — not through top-down mandates from Washington. Jane McEnaney is the Director of Education Policy Initiatives at State Policy Network. ...read more read less