Sure, let’s celebrate schools. But let’s also recognize huge failures in education system
It’s “American Education Week” this week, and every day, the Texas State Teachers Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, plans to highlight different aspects of education with its own separate theme. The goal is to celebrate the public school community and encourage the support of “safe, just, and equitable schools for all students.”
Texas has been trying to improve public education for decades. Some student scores have improved slowly — math test scores among elementary school students, for example, especially before the pandemic. Other scores, such as reading, especially among high school students, have improved little over time, despite increased funding.
In essence: What the state has been doing the last 10 years hasn’t worked. It isn’t a matter of money, either. The Fort Worth Independent School District spends $11,213 per student each year. FWISD continues to spend exorbitant amounts of money on racial equity staffing and outside programs. Unfortunately, this emphasis has done little to improve minority students’ learning, despite extra funds.
For all the emphasis on improving students’ education, FWISD also boasts an inordinate amount of administrative bloat.
Of course, schools should ensure that all students have the same opportunities. But not at the expense of prioritizing quality education. We’ve come a long way from an era when teenagers easily knew Latin, Shakespeare, calculus and world history. Now, they spend their days on TikTok, wondering about their identity, sexuality and sense of self rather than being rigorously educated because they are inundated with lessons on gender roles and self-esteem.
If some parents want this for their children, while others prefer a more rigorous curriculum, that should be up to parents. The best way Texans could honor “American Education Week” is by encouraging the Legislature to truly examine school choice for all when the next session begins in January.
