The Patriot Post® · RNC: Biden Is Failing America's Kids

By the Republican National Committee

THE ANTI-EDUCATION PRESIDENT

• While the White House labels Biden “the education president¹,” Americans know this couldn’t be further from the truth.
  • Under Biden, test scores have plummeted to the lowest levels in decades² and hundreds of thousands of children are simply missing from the classroom³.
    • More than 25%⁴ of students – 6.5 million kids – were classified as chronically absent during the 2021-2022 school year because they missed at least 10% of the school year.
    • Almost 50 percent of students in Washington, D.C. have become virtually absent.
  • Meanwhile, curriculums are being inundated⁵ with inappropriate materials and far-left topics championed by Democrats.
• Biden does not have the best interests of America’s children in mind, only the teachers’ unions that donate to him⁶.
  • Biden believes that the government⁷ should be a child’s parent, and that actual parents should have no say in the matter.
• Biden’s war on parents doesn’t stop there; parents are feeling the effects of “Bidenomics” as back-to-school prices⁸ are on the rise.
• While Biden and Democrats play politics with kids’ futures, Republicans are fighting to empower parents⁹ and give children the best opportunities and resources¹⁰.

BIDEN DOES THE BIDDING OF TEACHERS’ UNION BOSSES

• Biden has been working to undermine parents’ rights since day one, instead taking his marching orders from teachers’ unions.
• The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) influenced¹¹ the Biden administration’s school reopening guidance, with their suggested language included¹² almost verbatim.
  • AFT President Randi Weingarten¹³: “They asked us for language, and we gave them language.”
• Biden’s former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky admitted to changing guidance to give teachers’ unions¹⁴ “what they need,” prioritizing special interest groups over the needs of students. 
  • In an email to the AFT¹², Walensky even thanked them for their language writing, “I wanted to be certain you knew it is being worked into … the school reopening guidance.”
• The Biden administration¹⁵ has failed to expand school choice¹⁶ for those who need it the most – allowing teachers’ unions to maintain power¹⁷.

CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING DUE TO BIDEN’S UNION FIRST, STUDENTS LAST AGENDA

• National test scores have plummeted to historic lows as a result of Democrats’ extended school closures – erasing decades of progress.
• The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), better known as the nation’s report card, found that math scores fell by the largest margin in 50 years², while the average reading score is now the same as it was in 2004.
  • Just 13 percent of 8^th graders met proficiency standards¹⁸ for U.S. history, and 20 percent for civics – both marking all-time lows.
  • Only 33 percent of 4^th graders are proficient¹⁹ in reading, and 36 percent in math.
  • In 8^th grade, only 31 percent of students are proficient²⁰ in reading, and 26 percent in math.
  • These declines have been even worse²¹ for minority students, who were put at a further disadvantage due to pandemic school closures, “in part because their schools were more likely to continue remote learning for longer periods of time²².”
• Meanwhile, according to a February 2023 analysis from AP and Stanford, 230,000 students³ are missing²³ from the nation’s public school systems after Democrat-sponsored COVID lockdowns.
• Mental health issues have skyrocketed, with the number of teenage girls considering suicide up 50 percent²⁴ nationwide since 2019.

DEMOCRATS’ WAR ON PARENTS

• Across the Biden administration and the country, Democrats have taken a stand against parental involvement in schools.
  • The Biden administration had a central role soliciting²⁵ and colluding²⁶ with a National School Board Association letter that called for an investigation into concerned parents²⁷ for possible “domestic terrorism and hate crimes,” then misled Congress²⁸ about their role in this scandal.
• The Biden administration has repeatedly insisted that Americans’ children collectively belong to the nation instead of their parents.
  • Last month, Biden said “they’re not somebody else’s kids, they’re all our kids²⁹.”
  • In May, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated “these are our kids. They belong to all of us³⁰.”
  • In April, Biden claimed “there’s no such thing as someone else’s child. No such thing as someone else’s child. Our nation’s children are all our children³¹.”

BACK-TO-SCHOOL COSTS ARE SURGING BECAUSE OF BIDENOMICS

• This fall, parents across the nation are feeling the effects of Bidenflation with prices of nearly all back-to-school necessities⁸ on the rise.
  • The price of school supplies has increased nearly 24 percent³² in the past two years.
• Experts predict this school shopping season could “set a new record for the most expensive one ever³³.”
• The National Retail Federation³³ estimates parents on average are expecting to spend $890 per household, up $25 from last year and more than $100 from 2020³⁴.
• Another report by analytics firm DataWeave³⁵ found that back-to-school costs are up nearly 10 percent this season compared with a year ago.
  • The price of backpacks alone is up 25 percent³⁵.
• Nearly half of back-to-school shoppers will turn to financing in order to pay for supplies this year according to a survey by CNET Money³⁶.

REPUBLICANS ARE STANDING UP FOR THE RIGHTS OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES

• Earlier this year, House Republicans passed the Parents’ Bill of Rights, affirming parents’ right³⁷ to know what their children are being taught and protect parents’ ability to be involved in their children’s education.
• As Democrats allow critical race theory (CRT) to dominate school curriculums, 17 Republican-led states³⁸ have taken action to ban CRT from being taught in public schools.
  • In Florida, Republicans have stood up to the far-left³⁹ to prevent children as young as 5-years-old from being taught inappropriate sexual content.
  • In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin has expanded parents’ rights⁴⁰ to have a say in what their children are taught in school, and has delivered commonsense reforms⁴¹ to help parents retain their rights.
  • In South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem signed legislation which restricted the teaching of⁴² “inherently divisive concepts,” which is defined as “any ideas in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” in public schools.
  • In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation to protect⁴³ young children from inappropriate material and provide⁴⁴ flexible funding to eligible families who find that a traditional public school does not meet their child’s needs. 
• A National Burau of Economic Research analysis shows that 19 of the top 20 states⁴⁵ for getting kids back to in-person schooling were led by Republicans.
  • In contrast, 18 of the bottom 20 states⁴⁵ and districts were led by Democrats.

Originally posted here⁴⁶.