(The Lion) — If the nation’s public schools received grade cards, nearly all this year would be receiving an F, at least from the public.
Almost 3 of every 4 respondents in a recent Gallup poll are dissatisfied with the current system, marking “the highest dissatisfaction rate since the survey began,” according to The 74, a nonprofit news organization.
The Feb. 5 “Mood of the Nation” survey pegged frustration with government education at 73% – increasing five percentage points from last year’s 68% rate.
“Only the nation’s moral and ethical climate and its efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness ranked lower,” concluded Lauren Wagner for The 74.
Gallup researchers have asked for reasons behind the decline in satisfaction with public schools in previous surveys, including one in 2022.
“The top five answers were poor or outdated curriculum, poor quality education, lack of teaching basic subjects, political agendas being taught and students not learning life skills,” Wagner wrote.
Educators blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for causing significant student learning loss, but recent statistics from the National Assessment of Educational Progress confirm public schools have demonstrated “stagnation in overall academic growth” for decades.
“Everybody is tired of hearing about the pandemic,” said Jane Swift, a former Republican governor of Massachusetts serving on the National Assessments Governing Board.
“This is not an issue that is driven solely by the pandemic. Looking at this data, it’s clear that we’re in enormous risk of losing an entire generation of learners unless we show some focus and leadership.”
Additionally, public schools have come under increasing criticism for touting political agendas at the expense of student learning.
As previously reported by The Lion, the nonprofit Parents Defending Education listed 13 public-school districts as “the worst of the worst” over issues of antisemitism, parental rights and ideologies spanning race, gender and ethnicity.
In one example, Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia spent more than $420,000 for consulting related to CRT initiatives. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Unified School District contracted with Planned Parenthood to offer contraceptive services and abortions to students.
Data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights also reveals disturbing trends within public schools, including religious harassment and allegations of rape or sexual assault.
For the 2021-22 school year, Jewish students suffered 39% of the reported incidents regarding religion-based harassment and bullying.
Regarding allegations of sexual assault and rape, 32% of such incidents reported in 2021-22 found the accused staff members responsible. While 44% were found to be not responsible, 24% of cases were still pending.
