The first European families to settle in America educated their children at home.  Later, families had the option to send their children to educational institutions set up by the local churches.  By 1837, the local government began schooling kids.  Eventually, it grew to the state and local government.  In 1867 the federal Department of Education was established.  The department has continued to extend its power over the last 146 years.  Today, with Common Core, education has gone global and is now linked to the United Nations.  Within this time period, the United States has moved from a #1 ranking in education to 14th in reading, 25th in math, and 17 in science.  It is obvious that the loss of local control in education has also decreased the effectiveness of school systems.  My superintendent told me during a meeting that he could not change anything in our district because “his hands were tied” and he had to do whatever the state told him to do via the school board.  My solution to this problem is to make education local by establishing schools within their own cities/towns.  Have a board of parents/volunteers that oversee each school.  Have a general board (perhaps elected or appointed by the city council) that oversees all those schools within the city.