“The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother’s care, shall be in state institutions.” -- Karl Marx
Karl Marx's Manifesto advocated the establishment of "free education for all children in public schools." The US education industry is managed through the coordinated efforts of federal and state bureaucracies and their partners in the teachers unions. Thus, we should not be surprised at the incursion of Marxist ideology in America’s education systems over the past 100 years. To understand how this happened, we must first understand the history of public education in Maryland and the Nation.
For starters--and contrary to popular belief--public education is not enumerated in the Constitution or its Amendments. It is not a pillar of the Bill of Rights. Education is by omission then left to the individual states to administer. After the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson advocated for a national public education system for our newly independent nation. He further suggested that tax dollars be used to fund it. His pleas were ignored and the notion hibernated for nearly a century.
Colonies and then the States developed and administered to the education needs of their citizens as the Constitution intended. This is where public education evolved in the United States until The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who believed that "full educational opportunity" should be "our first national goal." Then in 1979, Congress passed the Department of Education Organization Act. The Department of Education began operations in May 1980 in the waning months of President Jimmy Carter’s sole term in office.
Maryland has a rich history in public education. In 1695, The Maryland General Assembly assessed a tax on the export of furs to raise funds for schools. In 1696, Maryland citizens independently established a free school in Annapolis, then one on the Eastern Shore, and ultimately a free school in each of the twelve counties. Maryland's first provision for uniform statewide education was adopted by the Constitutional Convention of 1864. The sole survivor of Maryland's 1696 project remains today as St. John's College in Annapolis.
Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to pass a compulsory universal public education law in 1852. By 1918, all American children were required to attend at least elementary school when Mississippi became the last state to enact a compulsory attendance law.
President Andrew Johnson signed legislation in 1867 creating the first Department of Education. Its main purpose was to collect information and statistics about the nation's schools. However, due to concern that the Department would exercise too much control over local schools (overreach was a concern then as well), the new Department was demoted to an Office of Education in 1868.
In the meantime, educators began organizing into unions. In 1857, The National Education Association (NEA) was founded in Philadelphia by 43 educators and focused on raising teacher salaries, child labor laws, educating emancipated slaves and Native Americans. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) was founded in 1916 in Chicago led by Margaret Haley.
Enter progressivism and the modern era of public education. The progressive movement of the early 20th Century in all facets of American life through unions is well documented. Suffice it to say that the NEA & AFT were not immune to the radical and socialist efforts of union organizers. The education industry is a revolving door of unionized teachers to union leaders to state and federal education bureaucrats, all like minded in their ideologies.
Teachers unions have steadily amped up their political involvement. In 2016, teachers unions supported left wing candidates and causes with at least 94 percent of their $32 million in donations. The NEA and AFT collaborate with each other and are consistently among the organizations that contribute the most money to candidates and political groups. Their members are activated at the drop of a dime to campaign for their preferred causes. It is an unholy alliance by design.
Today, The Maryland State Educators Associate (MSEA)--an affiliate of the NEA--and its 75,000 members has been standing in the way of re-opening our schools in a post-pandemic Maryland. NEA represents 3 million education employees across the country. MSEA is Maryland's largest professional employee organization.
Here's what MSEA says about their mission in Maryland's 1,428 public schools:
MSEA’s 75,000 members are dedicated educators united by a common goal—to provide every student with an education that will lead to a successful and meaningful life.
We know that what happens in the classroom is directly related to the public policies that come from federal, state, and local leaders. In our democracy, every voice matters, but history has proven that organized voices—louder and more powerful voices—are the ones lawmakers respond to. MSEA and your local association make sure your voice is heard and respected by education policymakers. MSEA members lead on education issues where decisions are made in your county, Annapolis, and Washington, D.C.
This mission says nothing about Maryland teachers actually educating students in the basics of Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, and they certainly leave out History. I don't read anything about representing or supporting the expectations of Maryland families in this statement.
In the 1860s, the Office of Education had a budget of $15,000 and four employees handled education fact-finding. By 1965, the Office of Education had more than 2,100 employees and a budget of $1.5 billion. Today, the Department of Education employs 4,400 staff with a budget of $68 Billion which is doled out to state bureaucracies with mandates (i.e. strings attached), typically ideological in nature.
What is the federal Department of Education doing with $68 billion other than producing poorly educated young adults? Are you getting your money's worth? Apparently, not much, because according to the 2018 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), the United States ranked 13 in Reading and 36 in Math among their international counterparts.
And it seems the states that spend the most on education suffer the worst results in outcomes for students. Maryland spends $15K per student while DC spends $21K and New York spends nearly $36K per student.
Had enough yet? Any more research and my own head will explode. That's why you need to tune in for the next article in this series, Enduring Education Part 3: Edumacation (aka Curriculum).
As parents, we are responsible for the education of our children. There are countless ways to be actively engaged as Patriot Parents of children in public schools. Get involved in your child’s education by becoming active participants in parent organizations or your local school boards.
Remember: they work for us.
Citizens concerned for their children’s future and their education under federal, state & local governments that are increasingly bloated, corrupt, reckless and invasive, have a constitutional option. We can also call a Convention of States to bring accountability and power back to the states and the people, where it belongs. Be a 21st Century Parent Patriot. Join us and Sign the Petition.
