The Alarm on K-12 Education Is Blaring – Inside Sources

Two recent studies should concern anyone about the direction K-12 education has taken over the past decades. The findings suggest that since the 2010s, we have consistently missed key benchmarks in student achievement.

In a small but telling sample of U.S. students, new results offer a sobering look at how American students compare with their global peers. As the Sept. 8 New York Times reported, “By every measure, American students are being outperformed by students in Singapore and parts of China who had top scores on the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, taken by 15-year-olds around the world.”

The test found that scores for American children have “fallen sharply” since 2022 and “are near the lowest point in 25 years,” The Times reported.

Tracey Burns, chief of global strategy and research for the National Center on Education and the Economy, estimated that students tested in four Chinese regions were more than five years ahead of American students in math and three years ahead in science.

As shocking as these numbers are, they may not surprise most Americans.

A new Gallup survey found that 67 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the quality of education — the highest level in the 27 years Gallup has asked the question. Only 32 percent are satisfied.

What’s driving the dissatisfaction?

The top two reasons cited in the Gallup survey were a “lack of teaching the basic subjects” at 25 percent and “poor quality of education/better in other countries” at 17 percent. Other leading reasons included “too much government interference,” “not learning life skills,” “history not being taught” and “curriculum taught indoctrination.”

“Lack of funding, resources” was cited by just 10 percent. Even concern about dismantling the Department of Education received only 1 percent, despite the survey finding that Democrats’ satisfaction has fallen 19 points since 2024.

Dissatisfaction now crosses party lines.

Is technology to blame? It seems plausible that classroom technology correlates with declining student achievement. The newer entrant of AI may also be contributing to dwindling student attention spans and information retention, and the widespread use of social media certainly hasn’t helped the decades-long learning loss.

If Americans across the political spectrum agree the current system is falling short, we must confront the reality that schools cannot remain idle and simply hope things move in the right direction. The warning signs are clear.

To address these shortcomings, we need to study what works and what doesn’t. Many states are serving as laboratories of innovation in education. We can already see the effect of a back-to-basics approach, such as early literacy efforts. Many states are investing in giving families more choice in education. A new federal tax credit is on the horizon that won’t simply throw money at the problem but will help empower families with the support they need, from tutoring to tuition.  So far, 20 governors remain on the sidelines, potentially forgoing millions of dollars that could help strengthen their education systems.

We are on the cusp of revolutionizing how we define education in the United States, but only if people of all political stripes accept that our past approach has not worked and adopt a bold approach that flips the education system on its head and delivers meaningful change that fulfills our promise to our students.