In the past decade, Congress has viewed federal aid to education in three different ways: first as a suspect notion, then as a sacred cow and now as a bog of bureaucratic hobbling. Last week the general confusion left U.S. public schools facing considerable uncertainty.
At issue in the House was an effort by liberal Democrats to fatten President Nixon's school-aid requests for the 1971-72 academic year by $728.6 million. Such moves have worked twice since 1969; last year Congress overrode a presidential veto, thus giving Nixon a Scrooge image. But last week's attempt lost by five votes. The defeat underscored rising...
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