There is Zero reason the Federal Government should be involved in running Schools or Education. Especially due to how much they've F'cked the whole thing up. The education level has taken a nose dive in the US since Federal takeover.
If "Federal" was at fault, explain why even more heavily federal schools in Europe, Asia, and Eastern Europe are doing better than the schools here in USA?
Even governments occasionally get something right. The US just picked bad curriculum, and managed the schools poorly. I'd say that's the work of Democracy in action. Dumb populace that rejects evolution, elects representatives that are well... representative, and they make policies which make the populace happy, which just perpetuates the cycle. (and indeed, makes it worse, since it's not just the idiot's kids that get the dumbing-down)