Restoring Federalism in Education: The Charter State Option

This news article was stressing the issue of ever growing federal involvement in education. With the No Child Left Behind many states have began to wonder if they can just avoid it all together. In doing so they would lose $582 million in federal funding, which is what is holding most states back. Arizona’s main issue with No Child Left Behind is they already have tests they use to measure kids education on a state level and by yearly progress. Adopting these new forms of testing would just make it confusing and impractical for the people of Arizona. An option that the states do have is to enter a chartering agreement with the U.S. Department of Education and they would receive the freedom and flexibility to control the federal funding and they would just have to keep achieving good results among students. The chartering option is good for states because it keeps a single accountability system and not a dual accountability system they would get with No Child Left Behind.
The main focus of this article is federalism. Education is a right that is guaranteed to states. States get the rights to control standards and processes of education. The states just have to make sure they are teaching to national standards and keeping kids up to date on the information that is crucial to them. So as expected with most legislation some people had a problem with No Child Left Behind. The federal government was tying education regulations in with federal funding to increase the probability of getting what they want. This has to violate states rights to control their own education. If the education standards are the same then they don’t need changed.
It doesn’t seem fair that the federal government can just tie huge issues like state education standards in with large sums of money. Of course most states are going to take the money to help fund programs. There has to be a limit on the federal governments influence over states by way of money. Arizona is doing what’s right by challenging what they feel as unnecessary actions. If states don’t fight back on issues the find unjust then what’s to stop the federal government from pushing the states around on future issues.


Restoring Federalism in Education