The Patriot Post® · Education as We Knew It Is Gone

The American public education system is abysmal, and more Americans are aware of that painful fact than ever before.

The increase in dissatisfaction was highlighted in a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. The survey indicated that “about half of U.S. adults (51%) say that the country’s public k-12 education system is generally going in the wrong direction.” A very small group of those surveyed believe it’s going in the right direction, while the rest are unsure.

Even more troubling were the responses from those on the front lines of this learning crisis. In a separate survey, a shocking 82% of teachers believe that “the overall state of public K-12 education has gotten worse in the past five years.”

However, what might be the most unsurprising revelation is that opinions on how the education system is performing and how it is serving America’s students are greatly influenced by a person’s political affiliation. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans don’t like what has been happening in today’s classrooms, while a significantly lower number of Democrats share those concerns.

It might have to do with the growing distinction between what one believes constitutes an education. Conservatives tend to advocate focusing on math, reading, and science in academics, while those on the Left seem to support more lessons on social justice causes, political activism, and gender ideology.

Educational outcomes over the last several years serve as a strong indicator of which of these priorities have been pushed to the top of the list. American students are failing in the basics of reading and writing, yet they can proudly recite countless gender identities. The idea that it’s normal for teachers to request that classroom lessons, activities, and conversations be kept from parents seems to be more widely accepted among students as well.

Destructive ideologies about gender and politics have taken over where reading and writing lesson plans used to exist, forcing parents into constant battles with teachers and administrators over the boundaries for educators and indoctrination. As such, it has become clearer that reversing course may not be an option anymore. The solution might require drastic changes to the entire system.

School choice has become critical for parents of all incomes and working classes, as it keeps their tax dollars from being automatically allocated to failing establishments.

Once opposed to the idea of school vouchers, professor Jonathan Turley has made a notable shift in his position: “Florida is moving to allow residents the choice to go to private or public schools. Other states like Utah are moving toward a similar alternative with school vouchers. I oppose such moves away from public schools, but I have lost faith in the willingness of most schools to restore educational priorities and standards.”

The call for change has also been heard and acted on in Nebraska, as State Senator Lou Ann Linehan and a “long line of women leaders … pushed education freedom across the finish line,” according to Erica Jedynak and Shannon Pahls in the New York Post. This determined group of community members was able to secure a win for school choice, as Governor Jim Pillen, joining 11 other states to take similar action, signed a law that includes “education savings accounts that empower families, enabling them to spend thousands of dollars a year on the alternatives to traditional public schools that are best for their kids.”

Understandably, as public schools are the most easily accessible for most families, they will likely continue to be the first choice for many parents and their children. However, the option for families to take their money and their children elsewhere will hopefully motivate school administrators to return to actual teaching in the classroom, as they would face the looming threat of losing their funding if they fail to deliver (a standard that most workers accept on a daily basis).

Activist teachers have been given countless opportunities to change course. Despite the hostile tone that far too many of today’s school staff seem to have toward parents, many of those parents would like to have that trust and that relationship rebuilt and to have teachers with a passion to educate be able to do so. However, that trust has been shattered, and parents are now demanding action.

There is nothing about celebrating Pride Month, about telling children that they can pick their gender, or about telling them that America is irredeemably racist that furthers this vital educational mission.