The 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution articulates the principle that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

As a result of this fundamental legal pillar, governance in the United States is quite decentralized when compared with that of most other nations. The U.S. system is based on the philosophy that government ought to be limited and control of many public functions, such as schooling, should rest primarily with states and local communities.

Over the years, a limited but critical federal (U.S. Government) role in education has evolved within this decentralized system. The seeds of this role can be found in the writings of the nation's founders, who understood that education was essential to building a strong, unified democracy. In general, the federal government has entered the field of education when a vital national interest was not being met by states or localities, or when national leadership was required to address a national problem. The courts usually have upheld the federal role in education based on the constitutional clause (Article I, Section 8) giving the U.S. Congress the power to provide for the nation's "general welfare," the 14th Amendment ensuring citizens due process of law, and other legal grounds.

The federal government has always been a subordinate partner to states and localities in terms of the amount of education funding that comes directly from its level. The federal share of total revenues for elementary and secondary school education peaked in the late 1970s at less than 10 percent, and today is less than seven percent of the overall expenditures. States and local school districts have retained control over curriculum content and instructional methods; in fact, federal law prohibits U.S. Government interference in these areas.

Still, the federal government has influenced education to a degree that goes well beyond the small share of funding provided. In recent years, to achieve greater impact, federal dollars have been heavily concentrated on certain priorities, such as educating children from lower-income backgrounds, rather than on general school support. Presidents and other national leaders have used the prominence of their office to call attention to a problem and rally people around a national goal. When the rights of individuals are at stake, the federal government has required states and localities to take certain corrective actions.

There are four major reasons why the federal government has become involved in education:

• To promote democracy.

• To ensure equality of educational opportunity.

• To enhance national productivity.

• To strengthen national defense.

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Abridged with permission from A Brief History of the Federal Role in Education: Why It Began and Why It's Still Needed, by the Center on Education Policy, Washington, D.C.

The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government.