The U.S. Department of Education recently released test results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, showing that American high school seniors’ math and reading scores have dropped to a new historical low.
According to The Wall Street Journal, “Twelfth-graders’ average math score was the worst since the current test began in 2005, and reading was below any point since that assessment started in 1992.” Among these high school seniors, only 35 percent of high school seniors are proficient in reading, and a mere 22 percent in math. These troubling statistics contribute to an ongoing downward trend in educational outcomes that we have witnessed in recent years.
Extensive research confirms that extended school closures and remote learning during the Covid pandemic — largely influenced by the demands of teachers’ unions — have played a major role in the significant learning loss students are grappling with today. However, it’s crucial to recognize, as noted by the Journal, that declines in reading and math scores were already evident before the pandemic, and school closures only intensified an already alarming trend. The root cause of the troubling test scores among American youth lies in progressive education policies that undermine merit, favor ideological indoctrination over substantive learning, and promote the reduction of discipline in schools. These policies led to a crisis in education that we now must address.
No Merit
In the name of achieving “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI),” progressives have been challenging the concept of merit for decades. Some notable examples include race-based affirmative action in college admissions and efforts to eliminate merit-based admissions to elite high schools, with the argument that tests are “racist” and create unjust barriers for minority students.
Since the summer of 2020, following George Floyd’s tragic death, the campaign against meritocracy in schools has intensified. The San Diego Unified School District changed its grading system, preventing teachers from considering classroom behavior or homework submission to align with its goal of becoming an “anti-racist school.” School boards in Boston, Virginia’s Fairfax County, and San Francisco have removed merit-based admissions from prestigious high schools, framing these actions as necessary for promoting racial equity. Last year, Seattle school district shut down its gifted-and-talented programs, arguing they contributed to racial segregation due to a high enrollment of white and Asian students. There are many examples like these.
Progressives believe they can solve education performance disparities by covering them up and by attacking merits through lowering standards or removing objective assessments altogether. They confuse masking a problem with fixing it. In 2024, even The New York Times acknowledged that such an approach was “misguided,” failing to create equity in education and causing harm to disadvantaged students.
Indoctrination
Another troubling progressive idea in education is the emphasis on ideological indoctrination over essential foundational knowledge and critical thinking. A key example is “woke math,” influenced by Critical Race Theory, which undermines traditional math instruction by introducing racial and gender ideologies.
For instance, the Oregon Department of Education instructed math teachers to focus on dismantling racism in their classrooms. They argue that “white supremacy culture” can manifest by stressing the “right” answer or requiring students to “show their work.”
California’s new math curriculum framework limits access to advanced math courses. In 2021, more than 700 educators, engineers, and scientists, including Turing Award winners and Nobel laureates, criticized this approach in an open letter. San Francisco venture capitalist Garry Tan warned that “20 years from now, an entire generation of STEM researchers, scientists, and engineers in California may never exist” if this framework remains.
No Discipline
The CRT in schools has not only transformed how foundational knowledge such as math and reading are taught but has also reshaped the way educational institutions manage student misbehavior. Progressives argue that traditional disciplinary measures, such as suspension and expulsion, disproportionately impact students of color and perpetuate systemic racism. In response, the Obama administration issued school discipline guidelines, leveraging federal funding and highlighting potential civil rights violations to compel schools to move away from traditional discipline. Consequently, many schools replaced traditional discipline practices with restorative practices, emphasizing counseling and repairing relationships.
The restorative practices have been proven to be ineffective as schools have seen an increase of student’s disruptive behaviors, including disrespecting teachers and fighting among themselves.
During Donald Trump’s first term, the administration rescinded the Obama administration’s school discipline guidelines in 2018. However, a survey found that the majority of schools refused to follow the Trump administration’s directive. In 2020, 21 states and the District of Columbia passed legislation supporting the use of restorative practices in schools.
Following re-election and the Department of Education’s directive threatening to cut federal funding to schools that continue to promote “pervasive and repugnant” racial preferences, about half of the states across the nation have vowed not to comply.
The progressive movement against meritocracy continued this year with the San Francisco School District’s announcement of a new “grading for equity” system. This system would convert failing grades (F) to average grades (C) and B grades to A grades, among other proposals. Due to significant backlash, the school district had to pause the implementation of this new grading system.
At the same time, the “woke math” movement keeps gaining traction in our school system, fueled by funding from leftist organizations such as the Heising-Simons and Gates Foundations.
The disturbing decline in our nation’s education outcomes can be traced back to progressive policies that ultimately undermine the very students they profess to support. Until schools move away from these ruinous policies and ideas, we will continue to see stagnation or even regression in student test scores. When schools graduate high school seniors who cannot read or perform basic math, they condemn these young people to lifelong economic challenges, particularly in an era of rapid technological advancement. The time for change is long overdue.
