To be clear on my intentions- the OP said that conservatives wanted to eliminate critical thought. I assumed this was related to the elimination of DOE. My questions intended to dissect why exactly he thought that the DOE was responsible for critical thought.
I am not a fan of the DOE- I think that the relationship between standardized tests and funding mean that schools prioritize skill development and memorization more than they prioritize critical thought / reasoning.
I am not sure where your line of criticism comes from- it doesn't seem like we're understanding each other
You asked a bunch of specious questions about the DoE. The DoE is part of a complicated and fragile system. It isn't as simple as turning off a light switch for a part you don't like, and chances are you probably don't fully understand the thing you don't like in the first place. Chesterton's fence.
---
Now, to your point about standardized testing of skills vs reasoning, I would love to hear a proposal for ensuring "correct" critical thinking is assimilating into student populations. This doesn't scale and is subject to severe bias. Standardized testing measures more objective traits that are indicators for critical thought. IMO a solution must build on top of that foundation, not throw it away. You add a compass, you don't throw out the map.
I am not a fan of the DOE- I think that the relationship between standardized tests and funding mean that schools prioritize skill development and memorization more than they prioritize critical thought / reasoning.
I am not sure where your line of criticism comes from- it doesn't seem like we're understanding each other