America always preaches about freedom and the ability to become anything you dream to be. Although this is true for some people, there are always problems holding the American people back. We create organizations in our government to help achieve equality and to make sure that these dreams don’t become complete fantasies.
Education plays a large role in helping these dreams come true. It ensures that the American people are able to get a good education and go to college—things that lead to dreams coming true. A good education then leads to better career opportunities. Our government has set in place the Federal Department of Education (FDE) to make sure that everyone has a chance to become who they want to be. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken about hoping to completely abolish the FDE. What could this mean for our country’s future? How can the less fortunate have clear opportunities to achieve in unequal school districts? By abolishing the FDE, we would be taking a step back in confirming our ability to dream big.
The Federal Department of Education (FDE) overall is responsible for promoting equal opportunities for students all around the country. Usually the state is in charge of handing out the money to fund public and private schools. The problem is that the funding is never distributed equally across the education system, leaving some students with fewer resources to receive a proper education. The FDE was established around the 1860s; it began as a way to track test results, attendance and other statistics that schools provided. These statistics were merely just a way of making sure that America could globally compete in terms of education. Gender equality and racial equality in education have all been tied to the FDE. It was acts such as Brown vs Board of Education that brought light to inequality.
That led to more involvement of the FDE. It wasn’t until around the 1960s where it became a crucial part in the federal government. While education is primarily a state and local responsibility, the FDE has taken a role in the K-12 system by allocating funding based on school policies. The FDE influenced school districts by requiring that schools followed certain requirements to be given funding by the government. The most important requirements included Title I, which provided funding to schools serving low-income students; Title VI, which supported schools teaching students with disabilities; and Title VII, which promoted bilingual education. These are just a few of the titles that help hold together equal rights to education.
If the FDE was to be abolished, there would be a gap in the education system for areas of the country that cannot afford funds without government intervention. Funding towards these essential titles could be dissolved. It would be hard to protect titles such as funding K-12 and the Disabilities Education act if the FDE did not exist.
Once the department is abolished states will have an easier time banning essential books from their curriculum. It would be easier to ban books due to the fact that the government has a hand in the curriculum required. Without this government help it would be up to the states, and every state has different ways they prefer to educate their community. This could restrict the variety and diversity that essential educational books add to the curriculum. Leaving an unbalanced education system overall. It would hurt how our country develops due to the fact that certain books exploit some of the worst times in our history. Although it’s difficult to accept, it’s important to understand and remember what we have done in the past.
Not only could the curriculum be altered, things like federal student loans could also dissipate from the education system. That is part of what the FDE controls. It makes sure that students can apply for things like a student loan. Student loans are just another part of the FDE that strengthens the equality in the education system. Student loans help those who cannot afford to pay for a higher college education.. The money goes through the FDE to students who really need it the most. If this department is taken away, who knows where the money could go. It’s up to the state, which is a fundamentally dangerous situation as not all states agree on how education should be run. Gender equality and racial equality in education have all been tied to the FDE, so this could be a very bad idea for the future of our education.
The FDE is all about equality and our country has been through so much inequality that taking the FDE away would make an unfair education system for minorities. Education shapes the way our future thinks. How you are brought up and the lessons you are taught decide the way you problem solve, the way you handle difficult topics. A good education positively impacts the way you go through your life and the overall success of your country. Your education shouldn’t be defined by your zip code. If Trump were to go through with this plan it could take back the equality we have been able to achieve with the FDE. We must hold up against these harsh ideas. Our future citizens want to be able to look back on the history of America and be proud of the choices we have made to help propel our country into the future and not drag it down into the past.
