Federal Government Influence on State

Supported Education

Tiffany TolbertPolitical Science Capstone

Fall 2003

Development of American Education

• United States Constitution• United States Congress• State Constitutions• State Roles in Education During the

19th Century• Legislators• Taxation• Bureaucracies

Congressional Influence on Education

• Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862• The Smith-Hughes Act (1917)• The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act

of 1944• The National Defense Act of 1958• No Child Left Behind (2001)

Judicial Developments In State Educational Policies

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

1789-1896 1897-1906 1927-1937 1967-1971

Total CasesState CasesFederal Cases

Supreme Court Influence on Education

• Dartmouth College Case (1819)• 20th Century Supreme Court Decisions

– Brown vs. Board of Education, Topeka, KS– Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District

(1969)– San Antonio Independent School District vs.

Rodriquez (1973)

• Compliance with Federal Orders

Fear of Federal Control in Education

• What is the Fear?• Regionalism• Curriculum

• Federal Actions in Education• Legislators• Political Parties

The Alabama Problem

• September 9th Referendum• $675 million budget shortfall for 2004

fiscal year

• Legislative Special Session• Educational Trust Fund (ETF) budget cuts• Result - $4.2 billion education budget for

2004

Alabama ETF Budget CutResults

• Funding for already existing K-12 teachers• Text book money decreased from $42

million to 5.2 million• Buying of books and computers eliminated• Funding for Graduation Exam preparation

courses cut• 50% of money for private schools cuts• Alabama Student Grant Program cut from

$5.3 million to $1.8 million

Who Controls American Education?

• Continuous Debate• Other Influences on Education

The End