Public schools rated at an all-time low after early closures, remote learning without AC
Former Secretary of Education under the Trump administration Betsy DeVos joins 'The Story' to critique the current state of public schooling in America post-COVID.
An NPR education reporter urged Democrats to "fight back" and reclaim education from the clutches of Republicans after failures during the COVID-19 pandemic, or else face "disastrous" results.
In a Wednesday Washington Post op-ed, NPR's Anya Kamenetz slammed Democrats for squandering their polling advantage on education by keeping kids out of schools longer in blue states, with education leaders glossing over the impacts of their decisions, and even shamming supporters who pointed out the error of their ways.
"Democrats need to own up to this, and work hard to fix it. Otherwise, they risk leaving our nation and our schools in the hands of Republicans, whose activist vanguard deems public education a major internal threat to the country," Kamenetz wrote.
While Republican lawmakers attempted to reinsert children into the classroom and operate them normally, Democrats had difficulty balancing the needs of parents, unions, and public health directives. The difference in education policy between the two parties have garnered the GOP parents’ "trust" and "sympathy," but Kamenetz hoped it doesn’t last long.
"They have smeared LGBTQ teachers as ‘groomers,’ embraced book bans, dismantled curriculums under cover of charges of ‘reverse racism’ and attacked children who don’t conform to a narrow conception of gender roles," the writer continued, describing Republicans as a political arm filled with "radical" party activists.
Kamenetz then detailed a plan for Democrats to regain a foothold in education, which included an "apology tour," and a renewed focus on basic learning, like English, science and math.
She also asserted they should "come clean" about the harm inflicted on children during the pandemic, and to stop avoiding terms such as "learning loss." She asserted that Democrats only "sound obtuse" when they downplay the impact. She also advised the party to distance themselves from the unions that parents associate with extending school lockdowns.
"There’s also a vocal minority of ‘open schools’ parents, Democrats and former Democrats, who sorely want it acknowledged that they were right all along. They deserve that — and an apology from those who labeled their position racist," Kamenetz added. "Once we’ve done that accounting, fixing it comes next."
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE LAUNCHES REVIEW OF EDUCATION CONTENT AFTER FOX NEWS DIGITAL INVESTIGATION
Recent polling suggests that the American public has become disgruntled with the current public school system.
In January, one Gallup poll saw trust in grade-school teacher’s honesty and ethical standards dropped to an all-time low, sinking from 75% in 2020 to 64%. Just two months ago, another Gallup poll found that only 28% of Americans have high confidence in public school systems. 43% of Democrats claimed they had confidence in public schools, versus only 13% of Republicans.
Furthermore, only 37% of adults said they wanted their children to become teachers in the future. This figure was the lowest recorded number since the poll was first conducted back in 1969.
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