A new report by the Brookings Institution and The74 shows that thousands of government schools are at risk of closing due to “massive enrollment loss.” The declines are not confined to certain areas of the country but, according to Brookings, “are everywhere.” Some highlights of the report include that during a 4-year period encompassing the COVID-19 pandemic, “about 12 percent of elementary schools and 9 percent of middle schools lost at least one-fifth of their enrollment, and that “4,428 schools in the country reached or exceeded a 20 percent decline.” Just before Christmas 2023, the Jackson, Mississippi school board voted to close 11 schools and merge two more. Some schools on the closures list “have lost 30 percent or more of their students since 2018.” Researchers found that of the many school districts with more than 50,000 students, those experiencing enrollment declines of 20 percent or more are located in the South, including for example, Memphis, Tennessee, and Dekalb County, Georgia (near Atlanta). But similar losses are also occurring in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Albuquerque, and Salt Lake City. In Clark County, Nevada, 33 of the district’s 300-plus schools experienced a 20 percent decline in students in just two years. Tucson, Arizona, had 15 percent of its 82 schools lose at least one-fifth of their students. In Kansas City, Missouri, 2 elementary schools were closed in 2023, one of which “saw at least a 20 percent drop in enrollment after the pandemic,” and 5 more schools, which for now are still open, have experienced similar declines. Researchers and other experts say the future “is uncertain” and does not bode well for any significant shift in enrollment trends. It’s not difficult for many observers to assess the problem: parents are demanding better options for their children than the government schools, and are increasingly seeking them out.

On February 15, 2024, educator and architect of the Classic Learning Test (CLT), Jeremy Tate, announced on X: “Today we had 20,500 students [taking the test], double the previous single day record.” As a college entrance exam, the CLT is a welcome alternative to the increasingly woke and dumbed down SAT and ACT for many students and parents. In 2023, Florida adopted the CLT as a legitimate alternative. Tate established the CLT in 2015, and Education Reporter featured his work in 2021. A complete list of colleges that accept the CLT is available here. The test fits hand in glove with a classical education, which is also becoming more sought after in today’s educational environment. A recent Fox News opinion piece noted that the CLT “sets students up for success in work and life because it orients educators to teach cultural literacy and critical thinking skills — two main pillars of knowledge that teenagers need to thrive in adulthood.” It adds that, in contrast, the SAT exam “primarily assesses students’ test-taking abilities and thereby erodes rigorous education. The SAT’s format requires educators to teach to the test, which dulls even the best learning experiences.” As the Fox op-ed further noted: “The CLT is not just a test. As the culminating exercise of classical education, the CLT is the consummation of a superior K-12 experience that elevates students’ capacities for success in higher education and as members of society. Those outcomes triumph over the documented failures of K-12 schools or colleges to instill critical thinking skills. America’s children deserve better than what they’re getting now from our education system.”

The prevalence of woke education, beginning in kindergarten, is becoming more difficult for the mainstream media to ignore, as a recent Newsweek op-ed shows. While disavowing any support for the author’s views, the article nonetheless states the obvious, that woke education “is making our kids illiterate” and that “the scholar activists must be stopped.” Perhaps most outrageous is the spread of “woke kindergarten” programs that target young children with DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) propaganda instead of teaching phonics and elementary math concepts. The op-ed observes: “The politicization of education is one of the greatest failures of our time. Instead of focusing on how to help kids, adults are using students as pawns in a political and ideological war.” The author cites as an example the Hayward Unified School District in northern California, which he says spent “a quarter million taxpayer dollars to bring in someone to train teachers to ‘disrupt whiteness.’” This was part of the district’s woke kindergarten program, which led to “a 4 percent drop in proficiency in both math and English.” The op-ed points out that “the educational activist industry has become so lucrative that the tried-and-true methods of teaching are all but ignored.” In other words, no effective reading instruction or math skills are being taught, and as a consequence, students are increasingly illiterate. According to the op-ed’s author, black children are being hurt the most, even while they are the supposed reason for the DEI indoctrination. He allows that “there are many dedicated, hardworking educators who do not get the credit they deserve,” and who face what appear to be insurmountable challenges, yet manage to overcome them with scarce resources. “It’s past time that they are encouraged and supported,” he states. The op-ed exhorts readers to “stand on the right side of history by standing against the elites who are using children as the rope in their ideological tug-of-war.”

Want to be notified of new Education Reporter content?
Your information will NOT be sold or shared and will ONLY be used to notify you of new content.
Click Here

Return to Home PageEducation Reporter Online - February 2024