In 1912, eighth graders in rural Kentucky—not wealthy kids in elite schools, but farm kids in one-room schoolhouses—were solving advanced math problems, analyzing the U.S. government, and identifying world geography. Today many college students can’t name the three branches of government, and struggle with basic fractions. They graduate high school barely literate. This wasn’t an accident. For most of America’s history, education was locally controlled. Communities set standards. Parents were in

Abraham Lincoln is often portrayed as a champion of freedom, but history tells a different story. Here are some facts they don’t teach in school: On Race and Colonization: “There is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.” — Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Sept. 18, 1858 “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it.” — Letter to Horace Greeley, Aug. 22, 1862