Kevin D. Roberts, PhD, Jonathan Butcher
Earlier this month, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona kicked off his back-to-school bus tour in Wisconsin, before proceeding through the Midwest on his way back to Washington. His aim was to make the case that spending increases “accelerate academic success” and highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s “historic investments” in public education. But if Democrats want to persuade Americans that their policies are working, they shouldn’t be looking to highlight education in Wisconsin.
Why? Because spending more taxpayer money on schools and keeping information from parents—policies supported by this administration—have been detrimental to students, especially in the Dairy State.
On The Heritage Foundation’s brand-new Education Freedom Report Card, Wisconsin ranks 47th on academic transparency, which means parents must struggle to find out what their children are being taught in the classroom. In 2021, Gov. Tony Evers had the opportunity to change this and allow parents and taxpayers to view school curricula, but he elected to veto that bill in its entirety.
Wisconsin Ranks Low on “Teacher Freedom” Index
Meanwhile, Wisconsin ranks only 34th on “teacher freedom,” which means that state regulates education providers and limits the innovative options they can provide students. This is largely because of the state’s onerous requirements that all educators pass a “Praxis test,” a teacher certification administered by the Educational Testing Service.
On top of all that, Wisconsin has even struggled to keep kids in school since the pandemic. Data from 2021-22 indicate that more than one in four high school students missed the equivalent of a month of school. In 2022-23, 24 percent of high school students across the state were chronically absent. In Milwaukee specifically, that figure jumps to a staggering 64.4 percent.
Wisconsin is not alone, though. On President Biden and Vice President Harris’s watch, one-third of K-12 students are performing below grade level. It’s not exactly something to brag about, » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/education/commentary/secretary-cardonas-wisconsin-bus-tour-falls-flat-we-need-pro-parent-policies