America’s public schools aren’t failing. It’s time to spread the word
“America’s schools are failing.” “United States slips on latest world education rankings.” “American students less prepared than ever before.”
Listening to the national narrative on K-12 education might have you believe that learning no longer happens in America’s public schools, or that every school building is on the brink of collapse.
In recent years, school choice advocates have propped up this sentiment, framing for-profit charters and private schools as competent disruptors capable of reviving a failing system.
But ask the average parent what they think of their kid’s public school and you’re more likely to meet a different reaction.
As education professor and researcher Jack Schneider points out in a recent story for The Atlantic, when asked to apply standard letter grades to their children’s schools, the majority of public school parents hand out A’s and B’s, displaying a nearly across-the-board confidence in their district’s ability to engage and inspire young learners.
While parents tend to think the schools where they send their children do a good job, they often share a lower opinion of public schools overall, Schneider reports, handing down C’s and D’s to other America’s public schools aren’t failing. It’s time to spread the word. - Trusted:
