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Good morning. Reema Amin here from Chalkbeat Chicago.

You’ve heard of MAGA, but have you heard of MEGA? Make Education Great Again. It’s a phrase invoked by U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who argues that as federal power over K-12 schools grew, American education quality slipped.

But that simplified view involves some “mythmaking” about the past, one expert told our national colleague Matt Barnum. As Matt writes, it leaves out “decades of real improvements followed by a sudden and sharp drop” — a history that includes federal efforts and attempts to expand access to public schools and undo segregation, plus more recent disruptors, like the pandemic.

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