The federal government has no constitutional right to be meddling in education, and its meddling has been a grand failure. We must return education to local control and let parents and their community leaders decide what’s in their children’s best interests, not federal bureaucracies and teachers’ unions. The interests of teachers’ unions are often at odds with parental interests. Parents (and by extension, their children) too often get the short end of the deal.

 A first step toward a more effective education system is a common language in which children are taught. Several decades ago, that was the case; sadly it is no more. English must be made, by law, the official national language. Proficiency in a common language provides opportunities for children of all ethnicities. A common language enables more effective and productive communication, and communication is essential if a nation is to survive. It also fosters a sense of unity among peoples of varying national origins. On the other hand, multilingualism, when it is fostered as a national norm, creates divisiveness and distrust.

 The future of our country lies in the education of our children. But education cannot be steeped in moral relativism, an aversion to patriotism, and a disdain for traditions that have kept this nation strong and prosperous.