(TheRedWire.com) – A conservative organization established to challenge what they describe as “extremism” in U.S. education has initiated a campaign to dissolve the Department of Education.
“The federal Department of Education’s outcomes, from dropping test performance to perceived extreme ideologies in schools, suggest its inadequacy for students and parents,” said Adam Waldeck, head of 1776 Action. “There’s a rising belief that a centralized model is fundamentally flawed.”
This comes as 1776 Action has introduced a petition seeking support for eliminating the Department of Education. They argue that the department has not delivered adequate student outcomes, even with escalating funding.
Data from Education Data reveals that the U.S. Department of Education budget increased from $10.9 billion in 1980 to its peak of $192.3 billion in 2010. Although this allocation is generally reduced in the subsequent years, K-12 Drive indicates a yearly rise from 2019 to 2023, totaling $79.6 billion this year.
The 1776 Action petition posits that there’s no substantial return for taxpayers from this investment.
The organization’s website states, “Students’ performance is declining while partisan politics dominate our schools. Like any other bureaucratic institution, the federal educational system has grown cumbersome, lacks transparency, and is primarily focused on its persistence.”
In their statement about the petition, 1776 Action also alleges that the Department of Education promotes certain controversial teachings in schools and mandates guidelines on gender-related issues for schools receiving federal funds.
Xi Van Fleet, associated with 1776 Action, expressed that the department’s initiatives remind him of his experiences in Communist China.
He shared, “My educational journey under Mao’s centralized education was not about individual dreams. It was about instilling unwavering dedication to the Communist Party and its ideologies.”
He believes America is witnessing a similar situation, mainly due to the Department of Education, claiming that some aim to utilize schools to mold students into advocates for extreme societal agendas instead of grooming them as accomplished, accountable individuals.
Waldeck urged political figures to back their petition, emphasizing the need to decentralize power.
He added, “1776 Action is presenting this petition to empower parents and to notify political figures that a shift is overdue.”
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