IImagine these words being incoming Education Secretary Donald Trump's first speech..
Today, I'm here to deliver a bitter pill: American education has failed. Teachers and parents, administrators and governments, and even students all have some responsibility.
Just as Sputnik fueled the urgency to send Americans to the moon, we need bold efforts to revolutionize education.
The most common explanations for our education crisis are insufficient funding, overuse of standardized tests, and systemic bias. those are wrong.
Our schools are not lacking in funding. No country spends more on public education.
Bad results on standardized tests indicate our failures. They are not the cause.
Our school is not biased. The most aggressive education reforms since 1955 were directly aimed at eliminating systemic discrimination.
diagnosis
For decades, we ignored the signs of trouble, but the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the depth of our challenges. The problem is widespread and complex, and there are no quick fixes. Just repairing it is not enough. we must rebuild.
Since 2020, American families have been going through an intense struggle. Declining quality of education led wealthy families to opt out of public schools, leaving middle-class and working-class families with fewer resources and influence to push for reform. States' refusal to enact school choice reform widened the gap between rich and poor and limited intergenerational mobility.
However, lower and middle class families also have some responsibility. The increase in single-parent households, which is not common among wealthy households, is devastating. When the only adult in the home works up to 60 hours a week to make ends meet, there is little time left for homework help, PTA meetings, interactions with school officials, and more. Even in households where both parents work, time and energy are often in short supply.
Teachers have good reason to despair, too. Even though their work is very important, many people are poorly paid. They face administrators who value standardized test scores above all else.
Meanwhile, declining standards of decorum and discipline, often justified in the name of “social justice,” have made schools unsafe for both teachers and students.
Violence and disobedience create an environment unsuitable for serious learning. Some parents treat school like daycare or demand good grades with minimal effort. To make matters worse, parents of disruptive students often refuse to allow their children to deprive others of learning opportunities.
But teachers also failed. They inflate grades to keep their jobs, but they do not favor students who are unprepared for future challenges. This reduces the quality of education for students who are ready for higher-level jobs and drives talented students out of public schools.
Another harsh reality is that many teachers are unprepared for the job. The education system has been dysfunctional for a long time, leaving many teachers unable to learn what they should be teaching. Universities steer future educators into education majors, where classes are more focused on left-wing “social justice” ideology than on subject mastery. Some graduates believe their mission is to “dismantle” an “unjust” society by creating anti-American activists.
When these dynamic teachers enter the classroom, they often abandon their obligation to impart American culture, knowledge, and values. Instead, they teach students to despise their nation, their people, their past, and their way of life. This undermines social cohesion and deprives disadvantaged students of the tools they need to succeed.
Outdated curricula exacerbate these problems. Most schools still use late 20th century models that fail to address how computing, the internet, and artificial intelligence have transformed the way we read, write, and learn. Even in innovative schools, teachers often struggle to balance the needs of non-native English speakers with those of native English speakers, reducing the educational experience of the latter. I'll put it away.
Our universities are also broken. By admitting students who are inadequately prepared, academic standards are declining nationwide. General education curricula often assume the need for remedial work, leaving motivated students with the challenge and preparation they deserve.
Government-run financial aid reduces the value of college degrees while driving up tuition costs. Proposals to eliminate student debt signal to colleges that they can continue raising prices without consequences and encourage predatory admissions policies that burden students with unmanageable debt.
prescription
How can we revitalize American education? Nothing short of an academic Sputnik will be enough. Just as Sputnik fueled the urgency to send Americans to the moon, we need bold efforts to revolutionize education.
- We create a K-12 curriculum that prioritizes an understanding of history, civics, and government.
- We will abolish curricula that divide Americans by race, class, religion, gender, and sexual identity.
- School selection will be implemented nationwide.
- Eliminate the federal student loan program and allow private lenders to evaluate borrowers' ability to repay. Conditional loans would force universities to lower tuition fees and rethink admission fees and program offerings.
- We will expand vocational training and increase opportunities for talented students.
- Raise teacher certification standards to ensure advanced subject knowledge.
- We will ensure good manners and discipline at school. Uniforms unify the student body, and measures such as suspension and expulsion ensure a conducive classroom environment for learning.
- Revise university accreditation standards to reflect indicators of post-graduation success and employment.
- We will punish public universities with discriminatory admissions practices.
And that's just the beginning.
The fate of our country depends on education. Our efforts to revitalize our schools must be as bold as our aspirations. Together, we will bring American education into the 21st century. Together, we will make American education great again.
Editor's note: This article was originally published by RealClearEducation and made available via RealClearWire.
