Four decades ago? You mean around the 1960's? Mere years after the federal government had to intervene to force integration in the south? Yeah, damn federal government for infringing on states rights.
Oh, also, where exactly is the non-involvement in education by the federal government since the Department of Education was created in 1867?
http://www2.ed.gov/NLE/histearly.html
In fact, isn't it the opposite?
"Unlike the systems of most other countries, education in the United States is highly decentralized, and the federal government and Department of Education are not heavily involved in determining curricula or educational standards (with the recent exception of the No Child Left Behind Act). This has been left to state and local school districts"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...t_of_Education