Background Federal education spending is an essential investment in America's economic strength and national security. Just as the federal government subsidizes the national highway system to support interstate commerce, national investments in public education help provide equal educational opportunity across lines of state and region. Federal programs address key national education goals. Historically, the federal role in education has been to target funds for specific educational purposes, including helping disadvantaged students close the achievement gap with their peers, providing professional development for teachers in math and science, and funding bilingual education. These federal investments then leverage other resources in support of these important goals.
Federal support helps advance education reform.
Federal funding provides flexibility to states and local school districts in designing their own programs to improve student achievement, ensure quality teachers, and meet the special needs of students. Federal programs target assistance to those most in need. Targeted federal programs have been essential in addressing national concerns not addressed by individual states. Similarly, a 1999 Department of Education report found that federal education dollars were much more targeted to high-poverty school districts than were state and local funds. Federal dollars go directly to the classroom.