Parents Give K-12 Education Failing Grades

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The COVID-19 pandemic was a very bad thing. There was one positive outcome from those years. Because of the school lockdowns, and virtual learning in schools, American parents were able to see what their children were doing. The parents were not happy with what they saw. A new poll has brought this point home in a major way. Gallup’s recent survey revealed that only 36 percent of Americans, most likely parents, were satisfied with the K-12 education system in the United States. The last time American schools were this dissatisfied was in 2000. The survey was conducted between August 1-31 and included 1,014 U.S. adult respondents.

One bright spot was that most parents base their satisfaction on the education of their children. One-third of parents are satisfied with the performance of their child’s teacher. Of the parents who responded to the survey, 36 percent rated their child’s teacher as “excellent” and 37 percent said that their child’s educator was “good.” When the data was broken down by political affiliation, things became predictable. Only 38 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were “completely” satisfied with the education system. 36 percent were “somewhat unsatisfied.” Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents held a slightly differing view. Twelve percent of those surveyed said they were “completely satisfied” and 43 percent were “somewhat unsatisfied.” The biggest drop in satisfaction among Republicans was between 2020-2021. From 49 percent to 35 percent, satisfaction rates fell 14 points.

I have one question: Are American educators shocked by these statistics? What were they expecting to happen to parents when they saw critical race theory, gender ideology, and other topics being taught, sometimes to kindergarteners and elementary-school-age children? Some parents were shocked to find out that, when schools reopened, their children had been encouraged to read pornography.

Things haven’t improved much since being allowed to return to the classroom and learn in person. Transgender is now more prevalent than ever. Some schools and school districts “transition” children from their birth gender, without the consent or knowledge of parents. Boys who have “transitioned” into girls are permitted to compete on teams with girls. This includes sharing locker rooms and changing areas with girls.

Teachers’ unions play a major role in why American parents believe that the education system is a disaster. The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are the two largest unions in the United States. They have roughly 4.5 million members combined. They are allies with the Democrat Party and donate large amounts of money to Democrat candidates. This means that they fully support the liberal Democrat agenda.

Parents in Washington State and other blue states are also fighting back after seeing what’s happening in Virginia. Shelly Clark serves as a precinct officer for the county GOP in Spokane Valley. Her husband is the president of the Central Valley School District Board. She says that what’s happening all across the country is part of a larger movement to take control of local elections. It’s part of the nationwide trend to retaliate against mask mandates and other policies.

What did parents get for attending meetings of the school board to voice their dissatisfaction about what their children are being taught? The National School Board Association wrote to the Justice Department in 2021 asking them to investigate parents who attend school board meetings and label them as “domestic terrorism.” The National School Board Association has since apologized for their actions, but the damage is done.

It is not surprising that American parents feel that the system is failing their children. Math and reading scores of 13-year-olds fell nine and four points below pre-pandemic level in 2019-2020.

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