The United States presents itself as the most advanced and prosperous nation in the world. If that claim is accurate, the K–12 education system should reflect comparable strength. Instead, national indicators reveal systemic academic decline, weakening civic knowledge, and record levels of chronic absenteeism. At the same time, the largest teachers union in the country is devoting organizational resources to mobilizing educators against federal immigration enforcement.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 31% of eighth graders are proficient in reading. Just 26% are proficient in math. In civics, proficiency falls to 22%.

Following the pandemic, roughly 14.7 million students were classified as chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year. In several major urban districts, absenteeism rates exceed one-third of enrolled students. These figures reflect a system struggling to meet its core academic obligations.

Public debate often attributes educational decline to funding disparities, pandemic disruptions, or socioeconomic inequality. Each of those factors affects student outcomes. Yet institutional priorities also shape results; when organizational energy shifts away from literacy, numeracy, and civic instruction toward political mobilization, academic performance does not improve.

The American Federation of Teachers recently published a lengthy post condemning ICE and promoting nationwide organizing efforts against federal immigration enforcement. A webinar highlighted by the union, led by AFT President Randi Weingarten and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, characterized ICE operations as a “war on all of us” and encouraged educators to coordinate resistance efforts in schools and surrounding communities.

Participation exceeded 1,000 attendees. Union materials included protest toolkits, rapid-response strategies, “Know Your Rights” guides, and training sessions in nonviolent resistance. Speakers described school-based “patrols” and systems designed to coordinate responses to enforcement activity.

This conference looked more like a partisan politics session than an academic gathering.

ICE enforces statutes written by Congress and signed by the president. Disagreement over immigration policy belongs in legislative debate. When a national teachers union frames enforcement officers as illegitimate actors rather than executive officials carrying out federal law, it reshapes how students understand constitutional authority.

Civic literacy depends on clear instruction about the separation of powers. Congress writes laws. The executive branch enforces them. When institutions responsible for civic education portray enforcement itself as immoral, students are encouraged to view protest as a substitute for structural understanding. Calls to “abolish ICE” frequently appear in student walkouts without explanation of legislative authority or administrative responsibility.

The consequence is predictable. Classroom culture reflects institutional messaging. Administrators respond to union guidance. Students absorb signals from authority figures. When union leadership organizes resistance campaigns, schools increasingly function as sites of political mobilization rather than centers of academic discipline.

Meanwhile, academic recovery remains incomplete. Reading and math proficiency have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Achievement gaps persist across income groups. High school graduates continue to lack foundational skills in writing and quantitative reasoning. The crisis is measurable and ongoing.

Organizations allocate time, staff, and political capital in line with their priorities. When the largest teachers union in the United States devotes national messaging to immigration activism, it signals that political engagement has become central to its identity. Academic mastery becomes secondary.

Immigration policy involves legitimate debate. Americans disagree on asylum standards and deportation priorities. Those disagreements belong in Congress and in public discourse among adults. K–12 education should prioritize intellectual discipline and constitutional clarity.

If the United States intends to remain globally competitive, schools must concentrate on measurable academic improvement. Literacy, numeracy, and civic competence form the foundation of economic mobility and democratic stability. Mobilizing educators against federal law enforcement does not address declining proficiency or rising absenteeism.

Educational institutions succeed when they focus on students. When union leadership builds political infrastructure inside the K–12 system, it reinforces public skepticism about whether academic excellence remains the primary mission.