The Federal Government’s Role in Education Essay

Another issue has been the banning of public prayer in schools. It was decided that public prayer should be outlawed in the Supreme Court case Engel v. Vitale. (Schlafly et al. 150) Some people could understand this as it is not right to make prayer mandatory in school, when there are people who don’t believe in any religion. What might get some people is what was decided in 1962 by the Supreme Court,”… even a voluntary, non-denominational school prayer led by a public school official violated the Establishment Clause of the First Ammendment.” (Merino 8) Many people might wonder why prayer in school, if held on a voluntary basis, is bad. Why shouldn’t the kids who want to participate in prayer at school not be allowed to? One reason could be that the school officials don’t want to put a target on kid’s backs. For example, if everyone but one kid did partake in prayer that kid may get bullied or questioned or at the very least feel left out. The same could be true if only one kid went to prayer, that child could feel targeted and awkward. Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, which took place in 2000, decided that any individual could pray at

There are many roles that I believe the federal government should play in compensating for educational disadvantages that result from living in poverty. It is the federal government that sets mosts standards for the way a student should be educated from elementary school all the way through high school. I believe that the federal government should pick up the tab if they are going to set requirements such as free breakfast and free lunch programs. These programs are forced on poor, usually urban schools that can’t afford it. Also, a question about participating in extracurricular activities such as sports. Many of the poor children can’t participate in these activities because they can’t afford the cost of playing the sport; so possibly the

Education is the key to our future and that is why it is such an important subject in the United States. Education relates to federalism by interacting with the national government, state governments, and local governments. Each level of government is responsible for improving education within their limits of power.

In cases having to do with constitutionality, the issue of the separation of church and state arises with marked frequency. This battle, which has raged since the nation?s founding, touches the very heart of the United States public, and pits two of the country's most important influences of public opinion against one another. Although some material containing religious content has found its way into many of the nation's public schools, its inclusion stems from its contextual and historical importance, which is heavily supported by material evidence and documentation. It often results from a teacher?s own decision, rather than from a decision handed down from above by a higher power. The proposal of the Dover Area School District to

The American public educational system is filled with an assortment of problems. Most students are graduating with less knowledge and capability than similar students in other industrialized countries. Classroom disruptions are surprisingly common, and in some classrooms, nearly continuous. The public education system is having difficulty adjusting to the no child left behind act. The No Child Left Behind(NCLB) is a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of American’s schools.

The word education is absent from the U.S. Constitution. Based on this fact, how is Federal involvement in public education justified?

The question of the constitutionality of prayer in our public schools and public school system has been an ongoing controversy for the past three decades. There is only one way to end the controversy, and it is pertinent to the well being of our youth and our nation. We must keep church and state forever separate. Any form of prayer in the public school system is an explicit violation of the first amendment, is coercive, and harmful to not only our nations children, but to the nation itself. The question of prayer in school should never have even been a question, and the fact that it remains three decades later is nothing short of unfaithful to the constitution. One could even go so far as to call this issue unpatriotic, as we are

There has been long time debate over the separation between church and state. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment together read: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...”. In the case of Sante Fe Independent School District v. Doe, the Supreme Court upheld the findings of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In a 6-3 opinion delivered by Justice John Paul Stevens, the Court held that the District's policy permitting student-led, student-initiated prayer at football games violates the Establishment Clause (Santa Fe Independent …).

Back in grade school, the day was started every morning with little hands over little hearts as the pledge of allegiance was recited by a bunch of little voices. There was a time where “Under God” was just as fluent to a child as saying “Can I have…” while in a store or “I don’t want to” when asked to clean their room. Every attempt at removing the reference to God within the pledge of allegiance has failed so far but some schools have made changes accordingly without the laws changing. However, within the school system I attended, they just stopped reciting it all together in order to avoid future conflicts. More and more over the years the battle of separating church from state has been a leading controversy. But what’s the big deal? What makes this separation between religion and schools so important? These are questions that have fueled the fire behind the battle and continues to help keep a flame. By separating church from state, it is teaching respect for diversity and allowing religious freedom that has been a part of the nation’s legacy for so long.

The last century in American history has yielded educational reforms, federal legislations, school improvement plans and interventions, which consistently influence best practices in school systems. After the report, A Nation at Risk (1983), the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 was reauthorized in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2001). This reauthorization was a call to attain educational equality for all American students and to lessen the achievement gaps between and among ethnicity groups, children of poverty, and disabled populations (U.S. Department of Education, 2001). Additionally, because of this increased scrutiny of student performance, other classification categories emerged such as gender.

The United States was built on prayer. Prayer or religion is on our currency in the many halls of our justice and federal buildings so no matter where we go, we cannot escape prayer. Our founding fathers did not exclude the bible in building our nation and educating our future and there will be no expectation. No matter what there will be prayer no matter where you are. Some people just don’t believe in God that’s why some don’t want prayer in public school. Though each of the clauses are originally applied to the central US government, and the Fourteenth Amendment was extended to scope out the whole entire First Amendment to all levels of government, including state level. Though urging with force the states and the subject schools adopted an equally separate approach to religion in schools. This issue of the school prayer was seriously decision in the U.S. since the 1900’s. In the 18th, 19th, and the early 20th centuries, schools locates country usage opened with an oral prayer or Bible reading. Religious people would sometimes object to the distinct of noting of events were performed in schools. For example the Edgerton Bible Case. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in favor of Catholics who was objected to use the Original King James Bible in Wisconsin schools. The ruling is based on the state constitution to seek or ask in Wisconsin. Like the other challenges anywhere else in the country, provided preceding in time or rank for federal rulings to come later. Legal

The language within the first amendment included the following “"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (LaMorte, 2002, p. 29). This specifically means that within the schools praying and reading the bible should be lowered. When schools have football games, graduations, and other extra curriculum activities are expected to decrease the use of prayer. Teachers are not allowed to teach religion or produce religious clubs during regular school hours. Overtime it has been argued the constitution has shown hostility towards religion or prayer. The separation of church and state does not have an effect on schools. This ideal is true because the United States has become very diverse. As children proceed through child development they encounter many experiences and aspects that impact their lives. Culture happens to be a major aspect that has an effect on children and families as they go through their lifespans. According to Erikson, development will continue through a life span and understanding the different crisis will prevent stages from being unsuccessful (Bredekamp, 2014,

The separation of church and state is a principle that the government must maintain an attitude of neutrality toward is religion. In 1962 the Supreme Court ruled that any kind of prayer, composed by public school districts, even non-denominational, is unconstitutional government sponsorship of religion. Prayer should be allowed in public schools because it would bring students together, teach the students the right and wrong amongst their peers, and decline the reliance on things like drugs, sex, and alcohol.

Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution declares that the US Government is responsible to tax the people for the “general welfare of its citizens”. Under this clause, the Government has taken the responsibility of education; not to micro-manage the education system, but instead to increase the efficiency of it. In the past, states and local governments have maintained primary control of the education system, which has led to many problems. The differences in curriculum, quality, and administering as well as other aspects of public education are vastly different around the country, which has actually inhibited America’s ability to succeed. Many of these issues could be resolved with a shift in power in terms of who is controlling the country’s academic system. The Federal Government should have a significant amount of regulating responsibility in America’s education system, because it standardizes the quality of education across the country, presents an opportunity of equal education for all students, and regulates teachers.

What are the roles of federal and state government when it comes to American education? The roles of education have evolved from historic liabilities to current liabilities. There are many laws and cases that have had an impact on American education that still has a strong influence on education today such as the debate between church and state, racial desegregation, and education finances. Other impacts as relevant are testing standards and special education programs that have arisen from influences of federal concerns. The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical and current roles that the federal and state government has on education. Other factors to include are individual cases