The Federal Role.

Both before and after his election, Ronald Reagan never made a secret of his desire to reduce or even eliminate the role of the federal government in education. He consistently asserted that "the greatest public school system the world has ever seen" began to deteriorate when federal intervention started, primarily in the 1960s. His oft-stated agenda on education included the following: 1) Do away with the Department of Education; 2) Encourage prayer in the schools; 3) Enact tuition tax credits and family educational allowances or vouchers to help parents finance private-school education or choice of public schools; 4) Weaken federal regulations, including those aimed at civil rights for disadvantaged and handicapped children; and 5) Enact massive cuts in the education budget.

Rhetoric versus Reality.

Reagan argued that the federal influence had grown so massive that it had usurped the role of state...