A new report shows that conservative red-leaning states experienced less learning loss following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns than progressive blue-leaning states.
Using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress that reveals that large numbers of 8th graders are below proficiency in math and reading, Education Next reported the negative correlation between support for Kamala Harris and academic proficiencies in different states.
Leftist pandemic lockdowns and remote learning policies contributed to a generation of students unprepared for their futures.
The necessity of education reform is clear, and the roadmap to a brighter future lies squarely within the principles of conservatism.
The data shows that leftist policies during the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant learning losses, particularly in blue states that imposed harsher measures and longer school closures. In contrast, red states that prioritized keeping schools open and focused on the needs of students saw better educational outcomes.
The data doesn’t merely indicate the failures of leftist policies during the COVID pandemic; it demonstrates that conservative approaches produce better educational outcomes for students.
Emphasizing rigorous academic curricula over political narratives is necessary to prepare the next generation to face real-world challenges. High standards and accountability in the education system produce students equipped with critical thinking skills, discipline, and knowledge necessary to succeed in the workforce and society.
By reconnecting education with its fundamental purpose—preparing students for productive lives—conservatives champion a system that not only upholds academic rigor but also empowers individuals to think independently.
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The problem isn’t isolated to K-12; In the higher education system, we’ve also seen the impact of these policies—many elite universities chose to lower academic standards to align with political agendas instead of upholding rigorous educational practices. As a result, academic ability is falling.
When America’s higher education institutions enforced draconian COVID-19 measures and lockdowns, they simultaneously lowered expectations for students with loosened policies.
Universities eliminated attendance policies, deadlines, and even failing grades. Standardized testing and merit-based admissions practices were dropped. Institutions indoctrinated students with the idea that meritocracy and academic rigor do not promote the leftist principle of “equity,” and therefore could be eliminated outright.
Brown University shifted focus to imposing DEI in admissions, prioritizing a student’s race over success. Other schools, like those in the University of California system, lowered requirements for core subjects like math in the name of “equity.”
Social isolation, low expectations, and a lackluster academic environment fueled learning loss and a mental health crisis among young people.
Simultaneously, America’s Ivory tower institutions shifted their focus from providing students with a classical education to DEI requirements and bizarre, made-up sounding courses.
Nearly 70 percent of colleges enforced DEI requirements to graduate, and courses like “Angry White Male Studies” and “Marxist Feminism” became the norm.
The result: students unequipped for life after graduation.
72 percent of college graduates say their degrees didn’t fully prepare them for the workforce. With loosened policies and bizarre coursework, this isn’t shocking.
We’ve reached a critical turning point in both K-12 and the higher education systems.
The low expectations set during the pandemic were a troubling trend toward educational mediocrity. Blue states prioritized political agendas over the well-being of their students. Proficiency in math and reading was replaced with proficiency in leftism, and our nation’s wake-up call is long overdue.
There is no more room for failure.
The road to education recovery post-pandemic must not only focus on regaining lost academic ground but also entail a commitment to the values that have traditionally underpinned American education: personal responsibility, individual merit, and a strong moral foundation.
Thankfully, we’re seeing a reversal of some pandemic-era trends in a slow but steady return to meritocracy within the higher education system.
Elite universities like UPenn and Yale have reinstated standardized testing policies that reward students based on individual achievement rather than race or identity. Anti-DEI legislation has helped eliminate university DEI departments and axe DEI graduation requirements. DEI admissions statements that reward individuals who prescribe to a certain identity or ideology have been removed at schools like the University of North Carolina.
While the trek to combat learning loss from the COVID-era feels like climbing Mount Everest, the higher education system is working to restore the meritocracy that once made our institutions great.
The recovery of our education system is a crucial battleground in the fight against the leftist agenda that seeks to undermine the very principles of our society. To reclaim the integrity of our education, we must steadfastly oppose any further attempts to weaken standards in the name of political correctness.
Instead of coddling students, America’s institutions and educators must instill resilience, critical thinking, and discipline so that our next generation can thrive in an increasingly competitive world.
The K-12 education system should take a page out of the higher education system’s playbook and join this trend — the future of our nation’s children is depending on it.
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Editorials and op-eds reflect the opinion of the authors and not necessarily that of Campus Reform or the Leadership Institute.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
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