A failing Nation’s Report Card proves need for sweeping change

America’s public schools are plunging our country into an epidemic of illiteracy and innumeracy, according to the new Nation’s Report Card. The math and reading scores are a five-alarm fire that demands swift change to a failing system that has been letting students down since long before the COVID pandemic. 

There is no sugar-coating these test scores: One in every three 8^th graders are functionally illiterate. As “below basic” readers, millions of teenagers struggle to extract meaning from words on a page. 

As a result, putting a textbook in front of them is pointless. These students are on the brink of adulthood, and yet they stand no chance of understanding an employment contract or a lease agreement. They cannot comprehend articles like the one you’re reading right now.

It would be easy to blame the COVID-19 pandemic, and the prolonged school closures that followed, for this crisis. But the pandemic did not start this problem; 8^th grade reading scores have been declining since 2013. A return to normal schooling meant, in many districts, a return to incompetence. This was better than trying to learn through a screen, but still a far cry from the meaningful education students deserve.

Achievement gaps are especially severe in big-city districts where teacher union bosses are calling the shots. In Detroit, nearly two-thirds of eighth graders are “below basic” readers.  In Baltimore, 71% of eighth graders are “below basic” in math. It is a sad irony that the districts most loudly dedicated to “equity” are the districts where minority students are suffering the most. There is no “equity agenda” that does more for minority kids than teaching them how to read and do math. Sadly, inner-city schools are failing miserably at their core mission. 

Reversing this educational catastrophe is not impossible; there are bright spots on the Nation’s Report Card that should be held up as a model for the nation. For instance, Louisiana saw gains in 4^th and 8^th grade reading and math, and it’s no mystery as to why: Over the past several years, the state has enacted new teacher training requirements related to literacy and embedded hundreds of literacy coaches in schools. Perhaps best of all, Louisiana has refused to allow struggling readers to fall through the cracks: Three times a year, students in kindergarten through third grade participate in a literacy assessment that flags problems to facilitate early interventions. One such intervention, high-dose tutoring, is made available at a reduced cost to eligible families. 

There are myriad strategies for meeting students’ unique needs, but one failed strategy – throwing money at the problem – remains stubbornly popular. The Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief (ESSER) Fund, created by Congress in 2020, became the largest education funding experiment in American history. An unprecedented $189.5 billion taxpayer dollars were sent to states and school districts through the ESSER fund, with very few strings attached. 

The experiment proved that no dollar amount can fix poor school leadership. The Defense of Freedom Institute uncovered billions in wasteful ESSER expenditures, such as beach trips administrators (Clark County, Nevada), DEI reparations (San Francisco), and hiring gender administrators (Milwaukee). Adults worked on their tans and lined their pockets while student learning suffered. 

With the pandemic now behind us and a new administration in the White House, the need for sweeping reform has never been clearer. In Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Baltimore, fewer than 10% of 8^th graders are proficient in math. Put another way, these districts are letting down 90% of their students. 

These students, and all students, deserve the opportunity to escape failing schools. President Trump has pledged to give it to them. He has already started making good on that promise through his Executive Order on Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families. The Order directs incoming Education Secretary Linda McMahon to support state education leaders in freeing up federal education dollars for school choice programs. Of course, unleashing the maximum amount of federal dollars for education freedom would require shutting down the Education Department. As school choice expands and more families realize its benefits, support for shutting down the federal Department is likely to grow. 

When parents have school choice, public schools can no longer count on a captive audience that has no other option but to keep sending their students to schools that do not teach them anything. When schools must compete for students, they must prove their worth by providing a first-class education.

The coming years represent a generational opportunity to refocus America’s public schools on the basics that all students need to succeed. With hard work and a relentless commitment to America’s students, better reading and math scores are every bit as possible for this country as they are necessary for its future success.