Does the U.S. Department of Education bureaucracy have a place in education?

President Donald Trump has discussed gutting the federal Department of Education bureaucracy but keep most of its funding programs. Department of Education spending has increased nearly 400 percent since its creation almost 50 years ago, while taking inflation into account. Over that same period the U.S. has certainly not made any great strides in education.

Government has only been involved in education for about 150 years, and the question of which level of government is best equipped to tackle education has long been debated—local, state or federal. Parents have been primarily responsible for their children’s education throughout most of human history. So who’s responsible?

That was one of the major questions asked during the 1925 Scopes Trial—who should be responsible? John Scopes and his attorneys believed that experts at the national level should be responsible. Not surprisingly, the prosecution believed the state legislature was responsible, acting as elected agents of the parents.

Visit Dayton, TN, this July for the centennial anniversary of the 1925 Scopes Trial and see how the greatest orators of their day debated the question. “Destiny in Dayton,” a historically accurate play about the trial, will be performed July 11, 12, 18 and 19. For tickets visit: Scopes100.com.