Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz touted his background as a former public school teacher during the campaign, but critics told The Washington Post that the state’s education record has worsened under his leadership.
Since Walz took office in 2019, students across the state have seen their reading and math achievement plummet, while his administration has been accused of pushing an extremist, ideologically-inspired curriculum in classrooms.
“He’s spent much of the last two years catering to the far left of his party rather than addressing the state’s real education issues,” Republican state Sen. Carla Nelson, a former teacher, told The Washington Post.
“Walz’s policies include burdensome mandates for schools… [that] Since then, we have seen budget shortfalls across the state that have resulted in teachers being pulled from their students to meet the requirements,” Nelson added.
Under Waltz’s leadership:
- Minnesota students’ reading achievement Fell That figure is expected to fall from 59.2% in 2019 to 49.9% in 2023, according to the state Department of Education. Similarly, sunk That number increased from 55% in 2019 to 45.5% last year.
- Thirty percent of Minnesota students were chronically absent, or missed more than 10% of school days, in the 2021-22 school year, more than double the 14% in the 2019 school year. According to the American Enterprise Institute.
- The Minnesota Department of Education has revised the state’s social studies standards to require an “ethnic studies” component for K-12 students. Critics The aim is to influence graduates with a radical worldview.
- A 2023 bill in the state Legislature would require all public schools to offer some sort of ethnic studies course by 2026.
Katrin Wigfall, a policy fellow at the Center for the American Experiment, a conservative think tank in New York, said the Walz administration has focused more on left-wing ideology and woke political statements, like the recent “ban the books” bill, than on addressing legitimate issues plaguing the public school system.
“Our education system is changing from a traditional focus on good, practical instruction to one that is more ideologically and politically driven,” she said.
Waltz, who has more than 10 years of experience as a social studies teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School, has also come under fire for implementing strict measures to keep schools closed during the pandemic.
Check out The Washington Post’s coverage of Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Waltz.
Critics accuse him of bowing to demands from major teachers unions to extend school closures during the pandemic, harming students’ education.
Minnesota’s national education ranking dropped to 19th this year, down from seventh in 2021, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Databook, which bases its analysis on the state’s National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores.
“As governor, Tim Walz prioritized teachers union funding over putting students first, and the results have been disastrous,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told The Post.
“Because of Walz’s failed anti-student policies, Minnesota students’ test scores have fallen to their lowest levels in decades.”
Waltz Resurfaced interview He dismissed criticism that school lockdowns were harming pupils’ learning, insisting he “did not believe” the complaints.
“The kids learned resilience,” he said of distance learning, adding, “The kids learned problem solving. The kids had to figure out how to get online and do this.”
“Schools were closed because of… [former President Donald] “Trump Failed to Address COVID-19.”
