The Sandstorm: The Dumbing Of America - For Kids And Country
close

For Kids & Country

  • Join The Movement
  • Adopt A Teacher
  • Union Exit
  • Union Politics
  • School Options
  • SeXXX Education
  • Toolkits
  • News
  • About
  • Donate
  •  Facebook
  •  Instagram
  •  Pinterest
  •  Twitter
  •  YouTube
  • More
For Kids & CountryFor Kids & Country
  • Menu
  • Join The Movement
      • Join The Movement
      • START HERE
      • Interactive Map Of Grassroots Groups Across America
      • Share A Printable Handout
  • Adopt A Teacher
  • Union Exit
      • Step One:

      • Teacher Toolkit
        • FAQ’s About Leaving Unions
      • Step Two:

      • Union Opt-Out
        • Opt Out of Your Union Today – By State (All 50 States)
      • Step Three:

      • Liability Insurance
        • Christian Educators
        • Association Of American Educators
        • Innovative Teachers Of Texas
      • Extra Information You Might Want To Know

      • Keep Your Local
        • How To “Keep Your Local” Only Association
        • Union Facts: How To Decertify
        • CA Independent Teachers
  • Union Politics
      • Union Politics
        • Union Politics (Home)
        • The Gompers’ Saga
        • Shocking Videos Of Union Leaders
  • School Options
  • SeXXX Ed
      • SeXXX Education
      • SeXXX Education (Home Page)
      • Parental Non-Consent Form for SeXXX Ed
      • California Parent Opt-Out Notice For SeXXX Ed
      • Get Educated About SeXXX Ed Toolkit
      • FKC Talks Sex Ed w/ PragerU
      • Helpful Organizations
        • The Legacy Institute
        • Alliance To Protect Children
        • Faith & Public Policy
        • Family Watch International
        • Parents’ Rights In Education
        • Protect Our Kids Now
        • Sex Ed Report
        • Stop CSE
        • United Parents
  • Toolkits
      • Toolkits
        • Critical Race Theory Toolkit
        • Parent Advocate Toolkit
        • Get Educated About SeXXX Ed Toolkit
        • Union Opt-Out Teacher’s Toolkits
  • News
      • In The News
        • News
        • Editorials In The News
          • By Rebecca Friedrichs
          • By Marguerite Gaspar
          • By Larry Sand
        • Interviews With FKC
        • Shocking Statements By Teachers’ Union Leaders – In Their Own Words
      • Blogs
        • The Sandstorm
        • From The Teacher Shepherd
        • The Gompers Saga
        • Inspiring Stories
        • Delighting In Safe Pasture With Linda
        • Rebecca’s Musings: Thoughts Of Hope And Faith
      • Videos
        • FKC Talks Teacher Freedom With PragerU
        • FKC Video Archive
  • About
      • About FKC
        • About For Kids And Country
        • Founder’s Message
        • Join The Movement
        • Our Mission
        • Stay Connected
        • Privacy Policy
      • Rebecca Friedrichs
        • Meet Our Founder
        • Rebecca’s Book
        • Standing Up To Goliath
          • Book Club Questions
          • Book Reviews
      • Helpful Organizations
        • CA Teachers Empowerment Network
        • Gateways To Better Education
        • MN Educated Teachers
        • PA Free To Teach
        • Union Facts
  • Donate

The Sandstorm: The Dumbing Of America

By Ted Stelle,

November 16, 2021

Title: The Dumbing Of America
Author: Larry Sand
Date: November 16, 2021

Our failing education system is leading us down a dangerous road.

America is in the midst of an education crisis, ranging from newborns to college students, and it is ubiquitous. In an under-reported story from August, a study by researchers at five universities found that babies born during the Covid pandemic show reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance. Babies who came into the world before the coronavirus had an IQ score averaging 100, but the test scores of those born during the pandemic fell sharply to around 78.

And those who were already out of the oven when Covid – and our overwrought reaction to it – became a reality are not in great shape either. Researchers from McKinsey found that by the end of the 2020-21 school year, students were, on average, four to five months behind where they have been in the past, and low-income and minority kids were disproportionately harmed in math and reading. Additionally, the latest American Family Survey, released in October, revealed that nearly 20% of parents said that their children’s grades worsened during the pandemic and nearly one-third reporting declines in learning.

But wait, it gets worse. Even before the pandemic, reading achievement was going downhill. As reported by Hechinger, U.S. fourth graders in 2016 slid seven points on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), an international reading test. “Then, fourth and eighth graders – particularly eighth graders – posted lower scores on the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a benchmark test that is taken every two years by both age groups.”

So, the question becomes, what can we do to right the ship? Sadly, those in charge are clueless, have a political agenda, are greedy, or all the above. One cohort wants to change the way we grade. Joe Feldman, a former teacher and administrator, and now an “educational grading consultant” has written “Grading for Equity.” In the book, Feldman asserts, “Our traditional grading practices have always harmed our traditionally underserved students.” He adds, “But now because the number of students being harmed was so much greater, it got people more aware of it and ready to tackle this issue.”

In other words, we need to grade on factors other than achievement. On cue, this has been picked up by the Los Angeles Unified School District, where guidance now says “academic grades should not be based on attendance, including unexcused absences, late work, engagement or behavior, which can be reflected in separate ‘citizenship’ or ‘work habits’ marks that do not count toward a student’s GPA.”

While some of the new L.A. guidelines are sensible, like letting students retake a test they may have failed the first time, most are quite damaging. Work habits and deadlines matter. Ignoring them or moving them into an amorphous grading area does a great disservice to the student. It certainly doesn’t prepare them for the real world, where lack of attention to these matters can result in job loss.

Perhaps the most glaring area for reform attempts is in math, and California is leading the way. In the proposed 2022 draft revision of the California Department of Education’s “Mathematics Framework,” the chapter on “Teaching for Equity and Engagement” includes this language: “Empowering students with mathematics also includes removing the high stakes of errors and sending the message that learning is always unfinished and that it is safe to take mathematical risks. This mind-set creates the conditions for students to develop a sense of ownership over their mathematical thinking and their right to belong to the discipline of mathematics.” The draft also suggests that math should not be colorblind, and that teachers should use lessons to explore social justice issues – by looking out for gender stereotypes in word problems, applying math concepts to topics like immigration, inequality, etc.

As John McWhorter notes, the above is an artful way of saying that “diverse” kids should not be “saddled with the onerous task of having to get the actual answers.” Accordingly, nearly 1,000 experts in math instruction and application have signed an open letter in which they trash the new proposed framework, maintaining it could devastate learning for the state’s 6 million kids in California’s public schools.

American history is in no better shape. With the advent of a state-mandated Ethnic Studies class in high school, the equity zealots in California are going to town. In an extended piece in the Los Angeles Times, Melissa Gomez details what will be on the menu in many school districts. For example, “Eurocentric history” is on the chopping block. The “insensitive use of their culture for sport team mascots,” the disastrous results of “settler colonialism,” etc., will be part of the curriculum. In keeping with the spirit of the times, one of the article’s featured teachers, Melina Melgoza, a high school teacher at the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles, starts her class with “students completing a social-emotional learning check-in with their feelings.”

The miseducation continues right into college. Researchers have found that while grades and graduation rates are up on college campuses, student test scores do not warrant the increases. They explain that the probable reason for the disparity is quite simply grade inflation. “The recent policy focus on college completion rates seems a likely contributor to increases in average GPAs. As schools and departments face increased scrutiny and, in some cases, increased funding incentives, they may respond by increasing graduation rates. Changing standards of degree receipt is a low-cost way to increase graduation rates. And in fact, graduation rates increased sharply at public four-year schools and community colleges, which rely on tax dollars and can be affected by states’ performance-based funding rules.”

American students have been and continue to be egregiously shortchanged due to a hysterical response to Covid, agenda-driven learning, the lowering of standards, and greed. Collectively, we all will suffer greatly for this dysfunctional state unless changes are made in a hurry. If not, our country will be unrecognizable in the not-too-distant future.

*   *   *

Larry Sand, a former classroom teacher, is the president of the non-profit California Teachers Empowerment Network – a non-partisan, non-political group dedicated to providing teachers and the general public with reliable and balanced information about professional affiliations and positions on educational issues. The views presented here are strictly his own.

Post navigation

← PreviousCalifornia Globe: School Walkout: ‘Government Is Not A Co-Parent’ Rally At State Capitol Monday
NextWashington Times: Substitute Teacher Shortage Increasingly Closes Public Schools →

 

Recent News

  • The Sandstorm: Randi Is Wrong Again
  • The Sandstorm: The College Debt Relief Swindle

Follow Us

Facebook

For Kids & Country

3 days ago

For Kids & Country
From our very own, Rebecca Friedrichs: "It’s time to liberate teachers from these thuggish unions." ... See MoreSee Less

I was a public school teacher and I know firsthand what Los Angeles school strikes do to students

www.foxnews.com

United Teachers Los Angeles are once again denying children their right to an education.
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

For Kids & Country

4 weeks ago

For Kids & Country
"The union’s...list...takes on such areas as funding for the Black Student Achievement Program, specifics on organizing the district, building affordable housing..., environmental justice, healthy food, trauma-informed teaching, techniques for de-escalation of conflict and increased access to ethnic studies." ... See MoreSee Less

What an off-the-radar teachers union election means for the education of L.A. children

www.latimes.com

The union that staged a strike and pushed hard for COVID safety — inspiring love and loathing among parents — is electing its leaders.
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

 

Purchase Standing Up To Goliath

Stay Informed

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Optional Information Below To Be Included.

Our Mission

Our Mission is to Unite, Educate, Engage and Empower Parents, Teachers, Students, and Citizens in the fight to restore America’s schools and culture.

Contact

For Kids & Country
P.O. Box 75032
San Clemente, CA 92673
4kidsandcountry@gmail.com

Media Inquiries

For Interviews Please Contact:

The KAIROS Company
press@jdaworldwide.com

Follow Us

You can make an impact while you shop for Black Friday deals. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/83-0822116 and AmazonSmile will donate to For Kids & Country Inc, at no cost to you.

© For Kids & Country· 2018-2023 · All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy
Skip to content
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset
  • SitemapSitemap