Our public school system has failed America for years, and as a result, it's produced a generation of functionally illiterate graduates, unprepared to meet the demands of either the labor market or higher education.
Pepperdine University Professor Jessica Wilson described the problem to Fortune magazine.
"It's not even an inability to critically think," she said. "It's an inability to read sentences."
If that sounds unreal, consider the case of Makena Simonsen, who graduated from a Washington state high school with a GPA that would make any parent proud — 3.87.
But the school made her an honor student despite the fact that she could only read at a first-grade level, and now she's suing the school district.
Technology is partially to blame.
It makes it possible to read and write without actually having those skills, using text-to-speech applications that convert written words to speech, and dictation programs that convert voice to written text.
One way teachers could check on their students’ progress is to periodically have them recite portions of the textbook in class, and give essay tests instead of multiple choice.
We used to call that "teaching."
Another issue is the explosion of antisemitism that's infected some school systems.
It’s become so blatant and severe in California that the entire state's public school system was sued late last month.
The Brandeis Center For Human Rights alleged that defendants "have largely stood by while California public schools permit, and at times encourage, an ongoing hostile environment for Jewish students," making antisemitism "normalized" in California schools.
Legal Insurrection reported that as a result of this toxic atmosphere, "one of the students now attends a private Catholic high school 'because she feels safer there as a Jew than she does in a California public school.'"
Highly inappropriate activities don't just happen in far-left California — they take place nearly everywhere.
While some might complain if public schools display the Ten Commandments, the Wiley, Texas Independent School District thought it would be great to celebrate World Hijab Day.
A local Muslim group was permitted to distribute Islamic religious items to the students, prompting a 12-year-old student to speak at a school board meeting.
"I am concerned about the religious materials that were handed out to students during the lunch period. The following materials were handed out: hijabs, Qurans, and Sharia law pamphlets," he said.
"That is something many families, including mine, are uncomfortable with."
But it gets worse.
The state of New Jersey established new sex education standards in 2022.
Public schools "will teach children medically accurate names for genitalia by the second grade, the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity by fifth grade, and the definition of vaginal, oral and anal sex by the end of middle school."
Republican Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger observed that "schools are veering from the mission of academics. People are paying two-thirds of their property taxes to send their kids to school, not learn about porn."
And teachers who strive to help their students succeed often pay the price.
Jennifer Fasulo, an upstate New York high school Spanish teacher offered to help students form a Club America chapter, the high school division of Turning Point USA — a conservative group that promotes faith, family, freedom, and personal responsibility.
She was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 30 for her "indiscretion." The school has released no statement since then that she's been permitted to return to her classroom.
Then there's Nashville elementary school teacher Eric Rivera, who objected when he was required to read an LGBTQ+ book to his first graders, because the book collided with his Christian beliefs.
The principal gave an ultimatum: either read the book or lose his job.
Eventually he was moved to teach a kindergarten class.
"I still have the fear in me that I could lose my job for anything that I do based on my religious beliefs," Rivera said.
Some of the problems can be attributed to the actions of national teacher unions, which do nothing to promote education, and little to serve educators — they only enhance the power and wealth of the union bosses.
In the meantime, many states have adopted school choice programs that help families enroll their kids into private schools, and a universal school choice bill, S.1810, is pending in the Senate.
Democrats and union bosses oppose school choice — while they send their own kids to private schools.
Article 3 of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 understood the interplay of education, religion, and morals:
"Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."
Education has the power to lift us up from poverty to prosperity — but only if it's useful, quality education.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He's also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read more Michael Dorstewitz Insider articles — Click Here Now.