When it comes to public education, the vast majority of Americans don't believe the federal government should be calling the shots, according to a new Gallup poll. In fact, most want that role delegated to local school boards. In a telephone survey, Gallup asked: "In your opinion, who should have the greatest influence in deciding what is taught in the public schools here -- the federal government, the state government, or the local school board?" Based on their findings, only 15% of overall respondents want the federal government to have the greatest influence on education (28% of Democrats, 16% of Independents and 3% of Republicans); 28% want state governments to handle the task (26% of Democrats, 28% of Independents and 28% of Republicans); while 56% said to let local school boards decide students affairs (44% of Democrats, 55 of Independents and 68% of Republicans). This is exactly how it should be -- invoke federalism and let local districts, which are more heavily impacted by parent interactions, decide the best way to educate children. More...
