Neal McCluskey

Virginia

Director and Writer at Cato Institute

Director, Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom. Views are my own, especially on #grilling, #BBQ, or the #Hoyas! Author, The Fractured Schoolhouse

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Articles

The Department of Education is Unconstitutional - and Unnecessary

1 month ago | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

In the U.S., education has always been a state, local and family responsibility. Few people throughout our history would have imagined putting an often distant federal government in charge, and the Constitution gives it no power over education. Thus, eliminating the department, and possibly moving some of its core functions to other executive offices, would hardly cause “chaos.” While federal officials have gotten too deep into education, nothing they do is essential.
Top 5 Reasons to End the US Department of Education

1 month ago | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. The US Department of Education is in the Trump administration’s crosshairs. Here are five major reasons it should be:It’s unconstitutional: Education is nowhere among the specific, enumerated powers given to the federal government. That means the feds have no authority to govern in education. Even the big-government administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew that.
Book Review: Education and Social Control

1 month ago | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

While it might be surprising to hear that government-driven mass education did not start in order to give all kids an equal chance at lifetime success, Paglayan’s basic thesis should not be especially controversial to students of education history. It is well established, for instance, that shaping patriotic citizens was an explicit goal for many founding era American public education proponents.
On Transgender Athletes and the Federal Government

2 months ago | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

“But even if they can, should they?”I asked that question last week in response to President Trump’s executive order on “indoctrination” in public schools. The question asked specifically: Even if federal officials have the constitutional and legal authority to take sides on values-laden education decisions, is it wise to do so?
Public Schooling, Trump, and the “Book Ban Hoax”

2 months ago | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

On January 24, the US Department of Education announced that it was ending “Biden’s book ban hoax” by dismissing eleven active and six pending complaints with the Office of Civil Rights over public schools removing books from library shelves. Complainants alleged that the removals created a hostile environment for students. The department also eliminated the position of “book ban coordinator” created under the Biden administration.
The Latest International Exam Scores Look Bad-Are They?

Dec 4, 2024 | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. This morning, Americans woke up to the latest scores from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), tests taken by students in 63 countries and other jurisdictions in fourth grade and 45 in eighth grade. The United States has participated since the exams began in 1995. In fourth-grade math, the US average hit its lowest level in the history of the exam: 517, dipping below the previous 1995 and 2003 low of 518.
What We Should Hope for from the Newly Nominated - and Last? - US Secretary of Education

Nov 20, 2024 | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. In a bit of a surprise to education watchers, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon has been nominated to be the new US Secretary of Education. It comes amidst a renewed push to eliminate the unconstitutional and ineffectual federal Department of Education. Will McMahon tear the place down? That’s the wrong question. The right one points to why it is not all that important who the education secretary is.
Education Policy's Hidden Impact on the Election

Nov 11, 2024 | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

This site works best using the latest version of modern browsers. Update your browser (Chrome 123) for more security, speed, and the best experiences on this site. Skip to main content While some referenda on school choice failed, public support is high, showing momentum toward a more flexible, peaceable education system.
David Boaz: Champion of Educational Freedom

Jun 7, 2024 | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

I worked with David Boaz for more than twenty years—indeed, for several years he was my direct boss. Like perhaps everyone who has known and worked with David, I was somewhat in awe of him throughout that time, struck by the immense dedication with which he undertook the work of advancing liberty, and his seemingly limitless knowledge of policy and politics.
Book Review: The Limits of Court-Imposed Justice

May 16, 2024 | cato.org | Neal McCluskey

For most of American history, many states and districts circumscribed education for African Americans, sometimes prohibiting it, and often forcibly segregating schools. Southern states were the biggest offenders, and the US Supreme Court finally struck down legally mandated segregation of public schools in 1954, with Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The ruling turns 70 years old this May. Brown was just the start of the judicial struggle to address segregation in public schooling.