Education in the U.S. has always been primarily a state and local responsibility. The U.S. Constitution leaves education to the states, which is why decisions about funding, curriculum, governance, licensure and standards have always been made primarily at the state and local levels.

The federal role in education has historically been limited to targeted support, particularly for disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, English learners, and teacher development.

Various federal programs exist to provide additional capacity to schools that need it most. These aren’t mechanisms of control, but levers of support. Yet, recent actions by the current administration have exposed something far more troubling than the myth of federal dominance: the increasing politicization of even the federal government’s limited role in education.

On July 1, roughly $6.8 billion in K-12 funds — primarily Title II-A (professional development), Title III (English-language learner programs) and Title IV (student support and enrichment services) — were frozen.

The........

© The Hill