Many of your editors have been in Washington for nearly 40 years (yes, we are swamp creatures), and we’ve waited a long, long time for a glorious day like yesterday. President Trump has heroically declared that most of the programs at the Department of Education add no value for our children and will be shuttered with the money block granted to the states.  As he said in his statement, after fifty years of spending nearly $3 trillion, there is zero evidence of any positive results on school performance.

We know this was a momentous moment for the future of our schools when we saw teacher union president Randi Weingarten and Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer respond as if they had stuck their finger in an electric socket.

Our friend and education expert Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform summarized this historic day well:

“President Donald Trump’s Executive Order returns power over education to families and states, rather than federal bureaucracies. This long-overdue shift empowers parents, educators, and local communities – those who truly understand the needs of students – to lead the way in shaping the future of education.

Less than 60 days ago, President Trump took office and has already put excellence in education at the top of the national agenda. Thanks to years of persistent, state-driven reform efforts by bold leaders showing what is possible, this administration has moved swiftly to advance an agenda that is uniting state leaders and parents nationwide. The urgency of this moment has been amplified by the post-COVID education crisis, with historic learning losses and growing demands for meaningful alternatives to the status quo. Indeed the Nation’s Report Card’s continued bad marks have been an alarm bell for people everywhere.”

Here are two more charts that document the education crisis: