Academic excellence should be the foundation of K–12 education—but it is increasingly being sidelined.
Today, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing to examine how schools are prioritizing uniform outcomes, or “equity,” over individual achievement, limiting opportunities for advanced learning.
Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Kiley (I-CA) started the hearing by highlighting how families consistently express support for advanced learning options. “According to a 2024 EdChoice/Morning Consult poll, 63 percent of parents said it was at least ‘very important’ that their child’s school offer advanced academic classes, while only 8 percent expressed that it was ‘not important,’” he said.
Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) asked Mr. Daniel Buck, Research Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, about the importance of accelerated and gifted programs. Many states and cities have questioned these programs, stating that they exclude minority and impoverished students. “[Impoverished students] can’t afford additional tutoring; they can’t afford…supplemental education opportunities—gifted and talented programs are [an] opportunity to get those. The research shows that students from impoverished backgrounds…disproportionately benefit [from these programs],” Mr. Buck explained.
In an exchange with Rep. Mike Rulli (R-OH), Mr. Paul Runko, Senior Director of K-12 Initiatives at Defending Education, explained how equity-based grading practices encourage poor performance. “If a student gets to retake a test [multiple times] for equitable purposes, why would a student study for the test the first time?...Not setting good habits in school is not going to set them up for success in life,” Mr. Runko stated.
Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) questioned whether giving students credit for work they never did is really the best way to fight racism. “If anything, lowering expectations is one of the worst things we can do for marginalized groups,” he said. Witnesses agreed with this thought. “It seems a particularly perverse way to fight racism—which is to not expect minority students to meet basically any standard,” said Mr. Buck.
Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN) discussed with Ms. Wai Wah Chin, Charter President at the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York, how lowering standards hampers our nation’s ability to compete on a global scale. “If we don’t have…[STEM] students now learning the skills that take years to build, we will not have the workforce [needed]…in any of the technological fields that keep us at the leading edge of innovation,” she said.
Bottom line: Students benefit when schools set high expectations and provide pathways to excel. Policymakers and educators should focus on expanding, not restricting, access to rigorous academic opportunities—including gifted and accelerated programs.
