It has become clear over the past several months that the U.S. public education system is a failure. Reading and mathematics scores in K-12 schools were falling even before the COVID pandemic began, but the learning loss students have suffered as a result of school closures has set them back years. It’s estimated that 40% of elementary school students are below grade level in both reading and mathematics. More than 70% of public schools have reported chronic absenteeism among their students, and nearly 90% said their students’ social and emotional development has been stunted significantly.

At the same time, liberal teachers unions and public schools have launched an aggressive effort to force a radical ideology onto students and their parents. Toxic theories such as gender ideology and critical race theory are now commonplace in the classroom, as many families discovered during their children’s pandemic Zoom classes. And although parental pushback against leftist ideology has had a significant impact in many states such as Virginia, the fact remains that powerful institutions, from teachers unions to the Education Department itself, are trying to turn students into leftist ideologues rather than educate them.