Making Education Great Again (MEGA): Part I
The results of failed schools, failed policies mimick an infectious disease. But America is healing the damage, if slow and steady
Do you remember learning to read? How about learning to compute solutions to math problems? According to The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), about 75% of America’s public school students cannot do either task proficiently.
Conditions are now so dire, CT’s mainstream media (finally) published a story about a high school graduate who literally can’t read.
Dr. Armand Fusco, retired superintendent has helped compile the 100 pages of evidence: we have a national ‘pandemic’ of proficiency in both reading and math. The sheer amount of information would have parents shouting from the rooftops about where their hard-earned tax dollars are really going.
The Reading and Math Disaster
What is the outcome that has proven the most …. shocking? It’s that students are forced to attend school for at least nine years, yet the vast majority fail to achieve proficiency.
From a report by Sarah Sparks: “The Pandemic has smacked American students back to the last century in math and reading achievement….Academic declines on NAEP were sweeping, spanning low-income and wealthier students, boys and girls, and most racial and ethnic groups…”
The NAEP results, grades 4, 8, and 12, measured in 2022:
—Reading, grade 4
35% at or above proficiency
65% BELOW proficiency
Math, grade 4
36% at or above proficiency
64% BELOW proficiency
—Reading, grade 8
36% at or above proficiency
64% BELOW proficience
Math, grade 8
26% at or above proficiency
74% BELOW proficiency
—Reading, grade 12
37% at or above proficiency
63% BELOW proficiency
Math, grade 12
26% at or above proficiency
74% BELOW proficiency
A high dollar settlement over the ‘right to read’
With all the Left’s talk about rights, you’d think they would embrace the ‘right to read’. A federal case called Gary B. v. Whitmer was filed by seven Detroit public school students, alleging they were denied the opportunity to have a quality education. Listen up, CEA. That federal suit was settled for $100 million.
A documentary film, called ‘The Right to Read’ is now available (trailer in photo above).
Diversity, Equity….Exodus
The racial sensitivity programming, known commonly as DEI, is also driving away the very people it claims to help—or at least, claims to want to help. Black students are fleeing public schools en masse, opting to homeschool because of the “low standards and ‘wokeism’” Superintendent Dr. Paul Freeman for example, has promoted DEI non stop in Guilford public schools. The national result of such pontificating?
41% of homeschoolers are now students of color. For administrators like Dr. Freeman in Guilford, or Dr. Highsmith in Hamden, that’s a stinging rebuke.
Black families are evacuating the Left’s massive, failed policies in government education.
The phonics remedy: Mississippi leads
After the state of Mississippi began training teachers in phonics in 2013, it took about 6 years to heal the damage done by Lucy Calkins and her failed Whole Word / Whole Language curriculum. After the initial 6 years, MS reading scores matched the national average at 32%, up from 22% in 2009 — and the ONLY state to post significant gains in reading in 2019.
Effectiveness of Tutoring
Another healing remedy is tutoring, which has been shown to be effective in high-dosage settings. Evidence from pre-pandemic years reveals students who complete such tutoring report large gains on test scores. About 35 million students are in need of academic remediation, either in 1-on-1 or small groups, with intense instruction.
Special thanks to Dr. Armand Fusco, whose research is presented here. Parts II and III will be published soon.
Well research and supported by data. Guilford is a mess and the perfect example of failed leftist policies. Paul Freeman is only interested in self promotion. He couldn't care less about minority achievement.