Parents are speaking up and the results are clear—they are unhappy with the performance of public schools. A new survey by Free to Learn found that parents are concerned with overall academic standards in K-12 schools and the prevalence of virtual learning. It also found that Americans believe parents should have a larger role in their child’s education.
Academic Achievement Is Getting Further out of Reach for Many Students
According to the survey, 81 percent of Americans are concerned with education quality, especially after news of declining test scores and achievement gaps. These results should be expected with gifted programs under attack, some school districts considering phasing out the use of Ds and Fs for high school students, and Oregon’s decision to suspend math and reading proficiency assessments as a requirement for graduating high school.
This new wave of woke education will only exacerbate problems in K-12 education. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released the most recent results for their nationwide assessment, also known as the nation’s report card. According to NAEP only 35 percent of 4th graders and 34 percent of 8th graders performed at or above what NAEP considers reading proficiency.
If school districts continue to lower standards instead of help students meet them, these results will only get worse.
School Shutdowns Have Consequences
The survey found that 55 percent of parents believe virtual learning had a negative effect on their child’s academic performance while 60 percent of parents believe virtual learning negatively impacted their child’s mental health. Shutting children out of the classroom has consequences that cannot be ignored.
Parents Deserve a Say in Their Child’s Education
According to the survey results, 72 percent of Americans support curriculum transparency. Additionally, 67 percent believe that parents should be able to opt their children out of curriculum they believe is inappropriate or harmful.
Most importantly, these results show that parents want to have a say in their child’s education. More parental involvement is something most educators have previously supported. This only changed once K-12 schools became the new front in the left’s culture wars.
The left is seething over parental demands for more accountability and transparency in K-12 education. Those on the left know that with parents watching they won’t be able to sneak Critical Race Theory inspired curriculum or gender politics into the classroom. That's why powerful teachers unions, progressive politicians, and leftist activists are doing everything they can to silence parents. Thankfully parents are refusing to be intimidated.
