The U.S. Department of Education is an $80 billion failure. For decades, it’s promised better schools and brighter futures, yet delivered little beyond bureaucracy and stagnation. President Trump is right: it’s time to end the Department of Education and hand states the reins.
In Tennessee, we understand that the best education system considers the unique needs of every student and empowers parents to choose what’s best for their child. We also have a proven track record of stewarding tax dollars wisely to achieve the maximum benefit for our students and teachers. By returning education to the states, we can once again make an American education the gold standard across the globe.
Since the department’s creation in 1979, the federal government has spent more than $6 trillion on education, yet our kids aren’t reading any better, solving equations any faster, or competing stronger globally. The “Nation’s Report Card” shows reading and math scores for 17-year-olds stuck where they were in the 1970s. Meanwhile, administrative staff in public schools has ballooned, growing by 19 times the rate of student growth since 2000, while resources are failing to make it into the classroom and teachers drown in paperwork. This isn’t just waste – it’s a sacrifice of our children’s future.
Worse yet, the department has become a megaphone for ideological agendas that undermine parents’ rights. The Biden Education Department pushed critical race theory in classrooms and threatened funding to schools that didn’t allow boys in girls’ sports. That’s not education – it’s ideology. In Tennessee, we’re focused on teaching our kids the facts – real civics and hard science – so they can think for themselves and take pride in our nation’s great story.
Education simply isn’t Washington’s job. Before 1979, states like Tennessee built school systems without a federal babysitter. That’s why President Ronald Reagan called the department a “bureaucracy that’s outlived its usefulness” and pushed to shift power back to parents and community leaders. Newt Gingrich’s 1994 Contract with America again called for abolishing the Department of Education. Today, President Trump is making good on generations of promises.
Tennessee, like many states, has proven that when parents and communities lead, students succeed. Our state has led the nation in academic recovery post-COVID and implemented literacy programs helping kids read at higher levels than ever before. And with the passage of universal school choice in Tennessee this year, thanks to President Trump’s support, we’ve put parents in the driver’s seat.
Look beyond Tennessee and the evidence piles up. Mississippi’s “Miracle” lifted 4th-grade reading scores above the national average thanks to state-driven literacy reforms. Florida’s investments in choice and education since 1999 have helped low-income students rise from 33rd to 1st nationally in reading scores, while graduation rates increased and dropout rates were cut nearly in half.
President Trump can end the federal government’s authority over education because the Constitution never granted it in the first place. The Department of Education’s main role is sending states money, which Washington somehow succeeded in doing before creating the department. Other parts of the federal government are likely better equipped to serve students, such as the Treasury with student loans.
Cutting off the bureaucracy does not mean turning off the funding. States already handle 90% of K-12 funding; the federal 10% — about $1.8 billion for Tennessee — can be managed smarter at home. We’ve done it before: Tennessee’s Medicaid block grant has saved taxpayers a billion dollars over three years while improving care. Imagine what we could do with education dollars, cutting waste and pouring resources into classrooms, not cubicles.
President Trump’s plan means hope for America’s children. It opens doors to state-driven innovation, unleashing the creative potential of all 50 states. And it gives parents — not Washington — more control over the education of their children.
It’s time to end this failed experiment and return education to the states. We know our children. We know what works. Let states lead — and watch our kids thrive.
* * *
Bill Lee is the 50th Governor of Tennessee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Education Belongs In The States, Not Washington