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If one were to look at the performance of America’s students, one could not be blamed for thinking the future of the nation is in great peril. While public school districts are fixated on influencing children to embrace progressive ideology related to race, gender identity, and sexuality, teachers appear to be less focused on ensuring students have the skills needed to thrive when they reach adulthood. The data shows that if this trend isn’t reversed, the next generation of Americans will be in a precarious situation.
The National Association of Education Progress releases a report called the “Nation’s Report Card” every two years analyzing how students are performing in a variety of subjects including mathematics, reading, history, civics, and several others. The report card measures proficiency in fourth, eighth, and 12th graders in each subject. The latest report took data mostly from 2019, and the results were rather disturbing.
In mathematics, the report found that only 41% of fourth-graders performed at or above proficiency levels. It showed the same from 34% of eighth-graders and 24% of 12th graders. For reading, the report found that 35% of fourth-graders met or exceeded proficiency levels. About 34% of eighth-graders met the same criteria, while 37% of 12th graders performed similarly.
Even more interesting – and depressing – were the study’s findings for civics. Among fourth-graders, only 27% were at or above proficiency levels, while 24% of eighth-graders were the same. Only 24% of 12th graders met or exceeded the required level. History was even more abysmal. Only 20% of fourth-graders were proficient or better. It didn’t get any better for eighth-graders, 15% of which were at proficiency levels. With 12th graders, the percentage was a paltry 12%
For the findings in history and civics, it is important to note that the most recent results for fourth and 12th grade were taken from data collected in 2010, while the numbers for eighth grade were taken from 2018. With reading and mathematics, the data came from 2019.
This means that only about a third of America’s students are graduating at proficiency levels for math and reading. Very few have a grasp of civics, meaning they do not have an understanding of how the government works. Even less have a reasonable knowledge of history.
But at least they won’t be racist/homophobic/transphobic bigots, right?
This appears to be the objective of those running America’s public schools. Instead of focusing on ways to ensure children are getting the education they need, these people are more concerned with injecting woke progressivism into the classroom through ideas inspired by Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
Even worse are the efforts on the part of administrations and educators to condition children into accepting transgender ideology and identity without the knowledge or consent of parents. Many school districts have implemented policies specifically designed to minimize the role of the parent when it comes to teachings on gender and their own child’s gender identity. Schools are increasingly becoming more about creating a generation of activists than equipping kids with the knowledge and skills they will need when they become adults.
This could create a challenging situation for American society in the future. With less-educated adults entering the workforce, it will make for a weaker country. But even more troubling is the notion that people who know little to nothing about civics or history will be far easier to manipulate. Schools would need to take drastic steps to turn this trajectory around. But if this is the outcome they desired in the first place, what incentive would they have?
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