Montclair Op-Ed: ‘A Smarter Path Forward For Department Of Education’

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following op-ed comes courtesy of Sean Long, a former Montclair Board of Education member who ran in the 2024 election. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education have made me pause: What is the smart path forward to our shared goals? What if we reimagined the department instead—focused, efficient, and aligned with the real needs of today’s students and tomorrow’s world?

Today, the U.S. ranks 13th in reading, 18th in science, and 30th in math out of 79 countries, according to PISA. These trends should concern every student, parent, educator, and policymaker. In a knowledge-based economy, the quality of education will define our competitiveness, our innovation, and our democracy.

Students are facing mounting challenges—from pandemic learning loss to a youth mental health crisis—yet the infrastructure meant to support them often feels outdated or misaligned.

Education in the United States is—and should remain—primarily a state and local responsibility. Decisions about curriculum and teaching belong to educators and local communities, not the federal government. Still, there is a vital role for the federal government in protecting civil rights, supporting vulnerable students, and helping states meet shared national goals.

This is where a reimagined Department comes in.

The Department should be smaller but sharper in focus. It should shift from compliance-heavy mandates to becoming a hub of evidence-based solutions and innovation. Its mission should center on students most at risk of being left behind—those who are low-income or have disabilities.

Reform should include:

• Full support for Title I schools and programs that serve students with disabilities
• Greater access to CTE, STEM, financial and digital literacy
• Stronger investment in teacher recruitment and retention
• A commitment to mental health and wraparound services
• Civil rights enforcement to ensure inclusive learning environments

We must also learn from what works. Districts across the country are piloting promising models. A reformed Department should scale up what succeeds and sunset what doesn’t. Montclair should aim to be a national leader. One area where we can lead is career and technical education—preparing students for a changing economy that demands creativity, adaptability, and real-world skills.

This isn’t about more control. It’s about smarter partnership.

If we want to restore educational leadership, we need a federal agency built for today’s realities and tomorrow’s needs. Reforming the Department of Education shouldn’t be about politics. It should be about our kids and making sure every child has a shot at a bright future.

This is a moment to be honest about what’s not working—and imagine something better. Let’s reimagine our shared goals and build the kind of system our students deserve: one that is future-ready and rooted in the belief that good public schools are good shared goals.

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