Introduction: The Foundation of Education Is Cracked
Every society rises or falls based on the qualities of its leaders. Those societies governed by individuals who were prudent, cautious with good judgement often, but not always, saw enlightenment. Those governed by individuals who were aggressive and militaristic often saw expansion but also were frequently plagued with ingrained turmoil in the following generations.
What determines the qualities of leaders? Their education, or their lack of it.
It would be easier, and more inclusive to all citizens, to say the quality of the education of the members of that society, yet that would not be historically accurate. The harsh truth of human history is that the world has seen more societies which operated with elite literacy while the majority remained illiterate, than it has societies which offered free education to the majority of its population. In fact, in many societies keeping the population deliberately illiterate was a way to keep people chained in serfdom and slavery.
In modern America, where free public education extends through the 12th grade, literacy outcomes remain troubling. According to the National Center for Education Statistics’ Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2023, about 28 percent of U.S. adults score at or below Level 1 in literacy, meaning they struggle with everyday reading tasks such as following written instructions or interpreting short texts.¹ A separate 2022 brief by The Policy Circle reports that 54 percent of American adults read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level, and nearly one in five read below a third-grade level.² Taken together, this suggests that tens of millions of Americans lack the literacy skills needed to fully engage as informed citizens. Can we reasonably expect such a large portion of the population to understand, let alone recognize, the slow erosion of civil liberties?
This erosion of civil liberties is becoming alarmingly apparent in 2025, as people continuously echo the rhetoric that due process as protected by the American Constitution only applies to American Citizens, while nothing could be further from the truth. In the original unamended Constitution, the word citizen only appears five times, with three instances being applied to who could serve in Congress or as the President. The other two instances are specific references to citizens of states and not the country as a whole.
Who do we blame for a citizenry that does not understand their own civil liberties and who is afforded those protections? The Education system, the system not the individual teachers, charged with turning students into citizens, has failed so completely that many so-called citizens cannot grasp even the most basic civil liberties. We must begin to focus on fixing America, and to do that we must transcend the idea that schools exist only to prepare students for some nebulous, undefined future.
Instead, we must recognize that schools must evolve into institutions that do more than prepare children for jobs. They must forge students into citizens, instilled with the knowledge, values, and virtues necessary for our society to thrive. Yet this mission must never slip into indoctrination. Education must be rooted in facts and truths, not political narratives, so that students are equipped to think critically rather than trained to echo ideology. A successful graduate of the American school system would be neither Democrat nor Republican, neither liberal nor conservative. They would be a citizen able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of both views.
Why? The answer is presented in the form of another question: From where does modern western society draw its leaders? From its populace.
It has not always been so. In earlier ages, leadership was secured by birthright, reserved for those of royal blood who claimed divine sanction as their sole qualification. To resist the crown was to resist God Himself. That is no longer the world in which we live.
For much of the twentieth century, American schools were the envy of the world. Today they are in decline. Despite record spending, student performance has stagnated, teachers are leaving the profession, and young adults graduate without the skills necessary for work or life. This collapse did not happen overnight. It has unfolded gradually, particularly since the creation of the Department of Education in 1979.
If the United States wants to solve its greatest problems, healthcare, poverty, homelessness, climate change, infrastructure, or debt, it must first rebuild its schools. Until that is accomplished, every other reform will remain shallow and incomplete.
The question remains: Why must we focus on schools first? Leaders alone cannot carry the weight of reform. A functional democratic republic “of the people, by the people, for the people” requires a citizenry that can recognize the difference between movement for the sake of movement, progress, and decline. Without that foundation, even the best leadership cannot succeed. Without it we lose the greatest check on government abuse, an informed voter. The survival of this republic rests on our schools, for only they can prepare the leaders who will be required to safeguard freedom and carry America through the next 250 years.