There are a number of prevalent issues in today’s educational system, and they are being poorly addressed (if at all) due to a fear of change and an attempt to maintain the status quo, despite a yearly drop in standardized test results and an inability for too many to find good paying jobs upon graduation. The problem is basically threefold. It is what students are being taught, how teachers are teaching, and the declining mental and physical health of the student population.

The most obvious is what is being taught in school is not preparing students for entry into the workforce, and it is not surprising that over 50% of college graduates say they’ll never be able to repay their student loans, and are choosing to move back in with their parents for financial security. I could make a copious list of all the “subjects,” much of which is just undisguised cultural Marxism, which of course has nothing to do with the real world at large, and naturally doesn’t produce a person ready to participate in a Judeo-Christian society—subjects such as budgeting, financial literacy, percentages, applied basic math, civics, etc. should replace “Queer Theory” and Taylor Swift courses.

Most K–12 schools still teach in a mass educational style of 25 to 30 students per classroom. Teachers are failing to efficiently teach a class with such a wide variety of student learning speeds because of the mandatory promotion by age regardless of ability.

Have you ever wondered why teaching excellence is rarely rewarded with larger and greater prestige? Because the teacher’s unions are controlled by the left, and so they promote teachers with the “correct” ideology, and protect the jobs of teachers who underperform in the classroom—job security is the primary goal and student progress is of secondary concern. Where unions don’t exist, the good teachers are not rewarded enough monetarily, so far fewer education graduates are willing to work for lower salaries, even if that means supporting a flawed system.

Perhaps the best and most charismatic teachers in a county, state, or even across the country could organize a digital classroom curriculum; the local teachers would essentially be teacher’s assistants who would pause the video if a student in their classroom had an unanswered question. Upon answering the question the local teacher could then resume the video. An excellent teaching presentation would be made for students even in poorer neighborhoods.

This approach to teaching is still not the most efficient or best way of teaching because it is not individualized enough to address specific student needs but do you wonder why this has never been seriously attempted at least to supplement? Yes, it would be a blow to the local teacher’s ego and the teacher’s assistant would probably worry about job security. Yet, this logical approach is probably too radical for the status quo teacher educational system.

There is a caveat to showing teaching videos as an only source of instruction which is especially true for elementary school students. At that age, students are developing basic skills (social and academic), so a teacher in a television is certainly not a primary solution.

Mental and physical health is also rapidly declining, as well as the preeminence of Judeo-Christian morality as a cultural anchor. Drugs, dysfunctional parenting, peer pressure from bad role models, incompetent teachers who can’t maintain discipline, and social media obsessions are all contributory reasons why education is failing so many students.

The most egregious drawbacks are here:

Financially poor neighborhoods across the nation are hotbeds of substandard education because few good teachers want to travel to poor, sometimes crime-infested neighborhoods to teach.

Curriculum rigidity using outdated tools which are not aligned with real-world needs and a lack of flexibility in adapting to evolving social needs and technological changes.

Shortages of qualified teachers in certain subjects or regions.

Unequal access to technology, creating a digital divide and limited integration of technology into the learning process.

Insufficient focus on teaching practical life skills such as budgeting, applied basic math for financial literacy, etc.

A system that drags down gifted, talented, and high-achieving students.

Limited education on effective communication and civic discourse. Challenges in promoting respectful dialogue and debate.

Minimal if any emphasis on moral or ethical principles such as the value of integrity and honesty and an emphasis on the desirability of smart hard work in the pursuit of goals in life.

The educational system needs reform, and there are solutions, but the left doesn’t want to hear them.

Image generated by AI.