The schools used to be entirely locally run. Gradually School have morphed to being run by the individual States to finally being top down Federal Gov. run. I believe this has been done though the lure of funding to the States and local school systems that always want more money. When schools accept Federal funds the Federal Government sets the curriculum. When the States accept Federal grant monies the States give up their sovereignty to Federal authorities. Call it socialism or the seeds of totalitarianism if you like, but what ever it is you can bet there are profit and/or power motives behind it. There is no other way to account for the ever more vast sums spent on education with decade after decade of worse results.