Education





Education

A learning process is which develops a skill or knowledge, and is one of the primary mechanisms for socialization and the driver of technological innovation and economic expansion. The philosophical basis, policy relevance, and implementation of education in the United States have evolved tremendously over the last 200 years. Originally based on the Bible, education was seen as the safeguard of liberty by Thomas Jefferson, and it has been seminal in Education has been and continues to be one of the most contentious areas of politics. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, educator Horace Mann, and philosopher and educator John Dewey are just a few who have debated the need for public school education (Ravitch, 2003). These ideological battles have continued in part because the states, not the federal government, have historically controlled education. Because schools in colonial times were decentralized and rural, the founding fathers failed to expressly delegate federal authority over education in the Constitution. Local and state governments have provided the majority of funds for education and have thus wielded an immense amount of power in terms of educational practices and curriculum.

In the United States, education remains, first and foremost, the responsibility of the states and localities. Local communities establish schools and colleges, develop course curricula, and determine the requirements for enrollment and graduation. A vast majority of the money spent on education at all levels comes from state, local, and private sources: Of the roughly $650 billion spent on education at all levels throughout the nation, 91 percent comes from state, local, and private resources. The federal government, then, provides about 9 percent of the national expenditures on education. However, that 9 percent includes spending in other federal agencies as well, such as the Department of Health and Human Services' Head Start program and the Department of ...