Weapons of Mass Ignorance; you can get one and it’s free

SCHOOLS

At Google, I typed, “Students can’t read or do math.” This was the top entry:

“Dyslexia and dyscalculia are both learning disorders, but they have key differences. In the most general terms, these two break down as follows: Dyscalculia: This learning disorder affects a person's ability to do math. Dyslexia: This learning disorder affects a person's ability to read.”

Uh-huh. Sure.

The top entry should have been: SCHOOL.

The Hill: “According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a sector of the U.S. Department of Education, 84 percent of Black students lack proficiency in mathematics and 85 percent of Black students lack proficiency in reading skills…”

“In California, 90 percent of students cannot do math or read well. In New York, the numbers are 85 percent and 82 percent. In Illinois it is 86 percent and 85 percent. In Texas the numbers are 84 percent and 89 percent. Maryland sits at 86 percent for math and 80 percent for reading. My home state of South Carolina is 90 percent and 87 percent. In Georgia, the numbers are 86 percent and 82 percent. In Missouri, it is 89 percent and 88 percent. And in Washington, D.C., the numbers are 85 percent and 87 percent.”

Audacy.com: “A new report from Wirepoints says that dozens of Chicago area schools are claiming no students are proficient in math or reading. The report examined 2022 data from the Illinois Department of Education, which showed that in 55 Chicago public schools, students could not do math or reading at their grade level.”

“Politicians and families alike are bewildered by the recent findings, as the state and federal government has funneled billions of dollars into the city’s education in an effort to help raise education levels.”

“In total, the report found that 22 Chicago schools had zero students who could read at grade level, while 33 reported the same for math. But the issue goes beyond Chicago, as 30 schools throughout the state reported zero students could read at grade level, and 53 had the same for math.”

Washington Examiner: “If public schools and nonprofit groups are serious about reducing the educational gap between racial groups, they will start dedicating the time and money necessary to teach students to read and perform math at or above grade level. Instead, philanthropic groups waste hundreds of millions of dollars on ‘equity’ goals, convincing students to feel good about their failing reading and math scores.”

“K-12 activists claim these goals are necessary to achieve ‘equal opportunity’ for all students, but in practice, they achieve centralized control of outcomes. And those outcomes are failing our children.”

“Philanthropic foundations use grant funding to nudge public schools in certain ideological directions through various education ‘initiatives.’ However, studies reveal no evidence that these grants have improved student outcomes. Even in the years just before the pandemic, scores were mostly stagnant or in decline.”

“According to U.S. News and World Report , data from 2019 show that only 38% of Denver Public Schools' middle school students are at or above the proficient level for reading. Only 26% are proficient in math…”

“In 2019, DPS received a $10 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as part of its ‘Networks for School Improvement’ initiative. Instead of pushing for more intensive reading and mathematics support for struggling students, the district is using the money to implement systemwide anti-racist and equity-focused policies.”

“For example, a district presentation states that the primary driver to ‘increase the proportion of Black and Latinx students demonstrating competency in math’ is to redesign systems and processes that ‘dismantle racist structures.’ The district’s solution is to implement ‘Grading for Equity,’ a program supposedly designed to reduce bias in teaching and grading practices. Equitable grading teaches adherents to be highly critical of traditional educational expectations, such as meeting deadlines, personal discipline, and work ethic. While it is sold as ‘bias resistant,’ it actually promotes a bias away from merit.”

Disaster.

One would almost imagine many of the teachers are illiterate, if they can’t impart a bit of reading and math skill in, say, grades one through four, where kids are generally eager to learn.

At any rate, explanations for this disaster can be found, if educators really want to look for them. All they have to do?