Introduction:
The Crisis in American Public Education
Public education in America is in freefall. What was once a system built on moral virtue, academic excellence, and civic responsibility has been hijacked by ideological bureaucrats, producing generations of students who are less literate, less informed, and less prepared for the real world than ever before. The Founding Fathers envisioned education as the foundation of liberty, a means to create informed, self-governing citizens capable of upholding a free republic. Instead, our modern education system has abandoned critical thinking for indoctrination, moral instruction for moral relativism, and academic rigor for watered-down mediocrity. The results are catastrophic, and the data proves it.
The Founding Vision for Public Education
Moral and Religious Instruction: The Foundation of Knowledge
From the very beginning, education in America was seen as essential to the development of a virtuous and informed citizenry. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 explicitly stated, “Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged” (U.S. Congress, 1787). Education was not simply about job preparation—it was about forming moral citizens capable of discerning truth from falsehood and resisting tyranny.
Prominent figures such as Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, argued that “the only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion” (Rush, 1798). Likewise, Noah Webster, the father of American education, boldly declared, “Education is useless without the Bible” (Webster, 1832). Today, however, public schools actively suppress religious perspectives while embracing ideological indoctrination that would have been unthinkable even 50 years ago.
Civic Responsibility and the Role of Education in a Republic
Education was always meant to serve the preservation of a free society. John Adams famously warned, “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people” (Adams, 1765). Thomas Jefferson pushed for public education, not as a means of state control, but as a defense against government overreach and tyranny. His Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge (1779) argued that an educated electorate was essential for maintaining the republic.
Fast forward to today, and we find a public education system that is actively producing citizens who despise their own country. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2022) found that only 24% of U.S. students are proficient in civics, and more than half cannot name all three branches of government (NAEP, 2022). The intellectual and historical illiteracy being cultivated in our schools today is a direct threat to our national stability.
Academic Rigor:
A Vanishing Standard
The classical model of education, which emphasized grammar, logic, and rhetoric, has been discarded in favor of feel-good policies that prioritize self-esteem over knowledge. The results are clear: today’s students are objectively less competent than their predecessors.
A 2022 report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found that reading and math scores among 13-year-olds have hit their lowest levels in decades, with a 9-point decline in math and a 4-point decline in reading from 2019 to 2022 (NCES, 2022). More than half of American high school graduates are not proficient in reading or math, yet we continue to hand out diplomas as if they mean something.
How Public Education Lost Its Way
The Progressive Education Movement (Early 1900s–Present)
Public education began its descent into mediocrity and political manipulation under John Dewey, the father of progressive education. Dewey’s rejection of absolute truth and embrace of secular humanism laid the foundation for today’s educational disaster (Dewey, 1916). His ideology seeped into teacher training programs, ensuring that future educators would prioritize social change over academic excellence.
This drift was accelerated by the creation of the Department of Education in 1979, which stripped local communities of authority over their own schools and centralized decision-making in the hands of bureaucrats. The results have been disastrous—declining educational outcomes, increased ideological indoctrination, and massive spending with little to show for it.
Standardized Testing and the Bureaucratic Machine
Education policy shifted towards standardized testing and bureaucratic oversight after the Sputnik Crisis (1957). However, decades of test-driven curricula under No Child Left Behind (2001) and Common Core (2010s) have failed miserably.
Despite spending more per student than almost any other country, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA, 2022) ranks the United States 30th in math and 14th in reading worldwide (OECD, 2022). Our massive educational spending has not translated into better outcomes—it has simply enriched unions, consultants, and bureaucrats while leaving students behind.
The Path Forward:
Restoring Education’s True Purpose
1. Reinstate Moral and Character Education
Scripture reminds us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7, LSB). Without a return to moral instruction, education will continue to decay. Schools must embrace character formation rather than relativism.
2. Return to Rigorous Classical Education
The classical model—which built the greatest minds in history—must be revived. We need to prioritize logical reasoning, historical literacy, and deep engagement with great texts.
3. Rebuild Civic Literacy and Historical Understanding
America’s future depends on citizens who understand their freedoms and responsibilities. Schools must teach founding documents, civic duty, and objective history.
4. Empower Parents and Local Communities
Education is not a government entitlement—it is a parental responsibility (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). The rise of school choice, homeschooling, and local governance is the only way to break free from the educational monopoly.
Conclusion: The Call to Action
The public education system is failing our children, failing our country, and failing the future. The dumbing down of America is not accidental—it is the result of deliberate efforts to reshape the nation by controlling its youth. The only solution is radical change—a return to truth, virtue, and academic excellence.
References
- Adams, J. (1765). A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law.
- Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education.
- National Assessment of Educational Progress (2022). NAEP Report.
- National Center for Education Statistics (2022). U.S. Student Performance Report.
- OECD (2022). PISA Global Rankings.
- Rush, B. (1798). Essays, Literary, Moral and Philosophical.
- U.S. Congress (1787). Northwest Ordinance.
- Webster, N. (1832). History of the United States.
