Research for Fake the Nation revealed the Department of Education spends its time and budget NOT ON EDUCATION but on feeding the students.
Everyone reading this thinks the U.S. Department of Education provides guidance to State and Local education systems. WRONG! Take a look at the Dept of Education’s web site (www.ed.gov). Their mission-
“Our mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”
With a $64B budget and 4,400 employees, you would think the Dept of Education would be helping to improve state and local governments in some form. The annual report is a good place to start understanding where the Dept of Education spends our tax dollars. Click on this link. Page 47 of the Financial Section is the best summary of the programs and dollars.
Here is a proposal that saves $63B each and every year AND improves education in every school in every district across America, public and private. This proposal is based on the premise the Constitution designates the federal government to provide services providing value across all States equally. The best use of the dollars spent at the federal level are to support what the States cannot do alone.
For example – School curriculum. If every State were to fund the creation of the materials used in every school, there would be no money for teachers, buildings or anything else. Plus there would be 50 different math books for every grade.
The proposal:
The Department of Education can provide substantially higher levels of intelligence and save $60+ Billions every year by focusing on 1 thing – Curriculum. This is accomplished by assembling a world-class team based on each of the accredited master degrees. Each degree team develops from 12, 14, 16, 18, or 20 course segments (corresponding to the current K-12, Associate, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate levels of education.) The teams collaborate creating core criteria that crosses all disciplines reducing duplicate efforts growing into one cohesive system of curriculum. This allows students the ability to advance at their own pace and to move laterally from degree to degree as they mature.
This consists of 4 steps that can be accomplished in 5 years.
- Year 1 – Assemble the teams and complete curriculum for 15-20
- Year 2 – complete curriculum for 1- 5
- Year 3 – complete curriculum for 6-10
- Year 4 – complete curriculum for 11-15
- Year 5 – develop performance and evaluation metrics and coaching program
1. Define the education path based on the 90 Master Degree programs accredited in the U.S. The education path is built with focus on the core disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math -STEM) required for all degrees. Each course is designed to have 4 segments. The student may advance at any time providing students to move at their own pace. Each course requires a score of 4 or 5 points to advance. If a student receives 3 or less points, they are allowed to re-take the test. If the score is not a 4 or 5, the student must retake the class.
2. Provide flexible advancement. Courses are assigned a number from 1-20. For example: Math 1, Math 2, English 1, English 2, etc. A student may advance from one course to the next upon demonstrating proficiency at any time. (Each number would represent the equivalent of the current grade system. 1 = Kindergarten, 20 = Doctorate.)
3. Proficiency measurement. Students receive a grade from A – F for every course. A = 5 points; B= 4; C=3; D=2; F=1. Students must demonstrate proficiency in each course with score of 4 or 5 to advance.
4. Coaching and mentors. Provide coaching and mentors for districts to ensure all schools are delivering the curriculum equally.
All other projects currently funded by the Department of Education would be eliminated or moved to another Department. For example: “The Department had over $1 trillion in loans outstanding”. Management of these loans is better suited to the Finance Department.
Master Degree Programs