In the 1970s, during the heyday of progressive social engineering ideas like forced busing, education began to plummet.  President Jimmy Carter's solution to education woes was to create another layer of bureaucracy, and so the Department of Education was born.  They immediately made the National Education Association the most powerful force in education in America and education plummeted ever more.

Things were so bad by 2001 that both Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly authorized No Child Left Behind to try and improve things - and it worked, scores went up for all students and the budget did also.   President Bush increased the Department of Education budget from $46 billion in 2002 to $60 billion.  Last year it was $70 billion.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-05-20/teachers-sc…