William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

606 Chapter 16Chapter 16 || Social PolicySocial Policy

Education

Education policy is largely the domain of state and local governments. For the first

century of our nation’s history, the national government played virtually no role in

education. One important exception was the Morrill Act in 1862, also known as the

Land Grant College Act. This law gave land to eligible states to establish colleges

that would promote education in the practical professions such as agriculture

and mechanical arts. More than 75 colleges and universities today are land grant

institutions.

The next major forays by the federal government into education policy came with

the GI Bill of Rights in 1944, which provided access to higher education for returning

World War II veterans, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,

which was part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty. The Department of Education

was created in 1980, signaling the national government’s interest in playing an

important role in education policy by:

• establishing and monitoring policies on federal financial aid for education,


• collecting data on America’s schools and disseminating research,


• focusing national attention on key educational issues, and


• prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.^73

FIGURE

16.9

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999

Medicaid

Millions

of people

SNAP

Earned income

tax credit

Supplemental

security income

AFDC/TANF

0

2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2018

Sources: Data for 1972–2013 from Congressional Research Service, based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;

and from Congressional Budget Office, “Changes in Participation in Means-Tested Programs,” February 2013, http://www.cbo.gov (both accessed

11/15/16). Most recent data were collected by the author from various sources.

Participation in Means-Tested Programs

The social-policy “safety net” is supposed to protect poor Americans during periods of economic recession. A deep recession

happened in the early 1980s, and the other recession during the time frame depicted here was in the early 1990s. To what extent

did the safety net accomplish the goal for which it was intended?

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