Education

Federal File

December 03, 2003 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

History Lessons

The federal role in education has changed dramatically since the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917.

That vocational education measure is considered the first direct federal program support for precollegiate education, according to Christopher T. Cross. The longtime participant in federal policymaking has written a concise but illuminating history of federal K-12 education policy called Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age.

Mr. Cross wasn’t involved in the 1917 law, but he has had a hand in every major piece of education legislation since the early 1970s, either as a Republican congressional aide, an assistant secretary in the Department of Education under the first President Bush, or as the head of the Council for Basic Education, among other jobs.

The book, published this month by Teachers College Press, is chock- full of historical nuggets. President Lyndon B. Johnson was a fan of task forces on education policy, but one federal official who agreed to chair such a panel was surprised to read in the newspaper that the president was expecting a final report in 60 days.

The prohibition against sex discrimination in education known as Title IX got no mention in the press the day after Congress gave final approval to the Education Amendments of 1972, Mr. Cross writes. School busing provisions in the broad education measure got most of the attention.

The Department of Education, for many years a Republican target for elimination, has ultimately advanced the education agenda, primarily through its “bully pulpit” role, the author concludes.

Beginning with the 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and continuing with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the federal role has grown beyond supplementary services to affect core teaching and learning. That trend is probably irreversible, Mr. Cross concludes.

“Although the federal government contributes less than a dime of every dollar spent on K-12 education,” he writes, “the leverage those few cents have is immeasurable.”

—Mark Walsh

Events

School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: October 23, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: October 2, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 18, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: August 28, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read