We’ve all seen the cliché of politicians kissing babies to look like nice guys. So it’s adding insult to injury that too many of our elected leaders across the country aren’t looking out for our kids.
There is currently no base of support among politicians from either party to advocate for real educational achievement. They don’t see it as a priority or a political win, so they ignore it – at the cost of our children’s future success.
A recent analysis by the Center for Educational Progress covers how we’ve gotten to this point. TLDR: Democrats have replaced a focus on excellence with one on equity, and Republicans have no competing vision to offer.
Progressive reformers have focused on closing achievement gaps to the point of losing sight of increasing performance for all kids. This focus on equity has held back high achievers and prevented teachers from implementing strategies that can lead to all students increasing their math and reading skills.
Meanwhile, conservatives are happy so long as they defeat progressive policy, while offering no positive alternative of their own. Simply upending the US Department of Education won’t improve student achievement. Burn it all down and let school choice run wild is not a strategy.
So any initiative that could help our students becomes a political football. While (alleged) adults argue, millions of public school students still can’t round numbers or add fractions by the time they reach high school.
Wake Up Call NJ exists because too many NJ students are being handed As and Bs without mastering essential skills. We speak out because families are told our schools are the best, while data shows 60% of NJ 6th-graders are behind in math and half our 1st year college students need remedial classes.
This isn’t just a NJ issue. Our country faces a glaring absence of political will to help our students. But there are solutions and the path to progress isn’t overly complicated. Explicit, evidence-based instruction in reading and math. Regular assessment that informs teaching rather than masking problems. High expectations paired with shared accountability and effective methods to help every student reach their full potential.
Let’s work together to make it happen in the Garden State.
