The Impact of Federal Involvement in America's Classrooms | Andrew J. Coulson | Cato Institute: Congressional Testimony

The Impact of Federal Involvement in America's Classrooms Andrew J. Coulson Cato Institute: Congressional Testimony

Chairman Kline, members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to speak with you today. My name is Andrew Coulson and I direct the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute, a nonprofit, non-partisan public policy research organization. My comments are my own, and do not represent any position of the Institute.
For over half a century, a succession of Congresses and presidents has sought to do two things for American elementary and secondary education: raise overall achievement, and narrow the gaps between high- and low-income students as well as between minority and white students. The federal government has spent roughly $2 trillion on these efforts since 1965, adjusting for inflation.1