How Public Education Failed in the Liberal Enclaves That Care About It Most

MSN ^ | 11/18/2025 | Andrew Rice

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Last winter, the federal government released the results of its semi-annual reading and math tests of fourth- and eighth-graders, assessments that are considered the most authoritative measure of the state of learning in American elementary and middle schools. In nearly every category, the scores had plunged to levels unseen for decades — or ever. On reading tests, 40 percent of fourth-graders and one-third of eighth-graders performed below “basic,” the lowest threshold. A separate assessment of 12th-graders conducted this past spring — the first since schools were shuttered by the COVID pandemic — yielded similarly crushing results. Many graduated from high school without the ability to decipher this sentence. How can I assume that? The test asked them to define the word decipher, and 24 percent got it wrong.

“You can’t believe how low ‘below basic’ is,” says Carol Jago, a former public-school teacher who has served on the board that oversees the test, which is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. “The things that those kids aren’t able to do is frightening.” Fourth-graders were presented with a multiple-choice question about a passage from the children’s book The Tale of Despereaux, asking why the main character, a mouse, decides not to eat a book. Nearly 30 percent could not pick the answer (“He wants to read it instead”). A similar proportion of eighth-graders failed to come up with the following sum:

,

12 + (-4) + 12 + 4 = _______.

,

By the 12th grade, students are asked by the National Assessment to demonstrate fundamental capacities of a thinking adult, like recognizing the point of a persuasive essay. One math problem set out a scenario involving a restaurant check:

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TOPICS: Education
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[brownsfan]

Failed? I would suggest it’s working as designed.

[FreedomNotSafety]

Mega Dittos. Poor and ignorant and reliant on the betters it’s the Dems modern day version of a feudal system.

It used to be against some laws to teach black slaves to read and today it still is. Try changing a failed reading curriculum in a black inner city school. Try firing an illiterate teacher charged with teaching reading. It violates any number of civil, employment, and contractural rights.

The move out to the wealthier white suburbs. No problem there. But Not the poorer white ones because they are just as bad at academics as the inner cities.

[FreedomNotSafety]

Mega Dittos. Poor and ignorant and reliant on the betters it’s the Dems modern day version of a feudal system.

It used to be against some laws to teach black slaves to read and today it still is. Try changing a failed reading curriculum in a black inner city school. Try firing an illiterate teacher charged with teaching reading. It violates any number of civil, employment, and contractural rights.

The move out to the wealthier white suburbs. No problem there. But Not the poorer white ones because they are just as bad at academics as the inner cities.

[Da Coyote]

“Failed? I would suggest it’s working as designed.”

Methinks that you are correct.

The best way to push socialism, DEI and other pretend intellectual offal is to remove any the ability to assimilate ane judge real history and facts from the children.

If successful, the ‘eddikated’ idiots can grow up to be Democrat congress-critters,lawyers, and mayors of NYC.

[17th Miss Regt]

...in the Liberal Enclaves That Care About It Most

These liberal enclaves don't care about education. They care about indoctrination!

[17th Miss Regt]

Poor and ignorant and reliant on the betters it’s the Dems modern day version of a feudal system.

Republicans took the slaves away from the Democrats and took off their chains. Democrats have figured out how to put chains back on (welfare state, destruction of families, etc) the intellects and souls of the former slaves and have largely succeeded. Republicans will have a very difficult time taking the chains off again because they are not physical, but spiritual.

[Ford4000]

A bazillion word essay (a telltale sign it was written by a leftist) which finally gets around to saying the problem is that achievement isn’t a priority. Duh.