3 Reasons to Pay Attention to Your Child’s School

November 21, 2025

There’s been a great deal of progress in recent years to improve public education, as a number of states have moved to increase educational freedom, protect parental rights and stop students’ indoctrination into false and harmful ideologies.

The federal government has acted with President Trump signing executive orders to end radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling, expand educational opportunity, safeguard girls sports and privacy and safety in sex-segregated spaces.

Some local school boards have made positive moves, fighting state laws that undermine parents’ rights and working toward students’ privacy and safety.

Despite these gains, the battle over public education continues, and parents need to pay close attention to their children’s schools – and take action when needed.

Here are three reasons why parents – and other concerned citizens – must continue the fight to improve public education.

1. Students are failing to achieve basic skills in math, reading and science.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as The Nation’s Report Card, released test results in September showing that 45% of 12th grade students scored below the basic level in math and 32% scored below the basic level in reading. In science, 38% of students scored below the basic level.

These students only had “partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at a given grade.”

Even highly rated school districts can have significant numbers of students who are not learning basic skills.

For example, Focus on the Family is located in Academy School District 20, rated by Niche as the 11th best school district in Colorado. In this good school district, Niche reports, “According to state test scores, 47% of students are at least proficient in math and 63% in reading.”

So more than half the students are not proficient in math and more than a third of students are not proficient in reading.

Even college-bound students are struggling with math and reading. The University of California school system has some of the top-rated public universities in the nation. But a recent report from UC San Diego stated that the school “has experienced a steep decline in the academic preparation of its entering first-year students — particularly in mathematics, but also in writing and language skills.”

Steve McGuire, a fellow with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, reported, “The number of entering students needing remedial math has exploded from 1/100 to 1/8.”

He added, “The report also shows that nearly 1/5 students fail to meet entry level writing requirements.”

So students are graduating – and getting accepted into universities – without basic skills.

It benefits parents to find out how their local schools are performing and demand a return to excellence in education – or pursue other alternatives for their children.

2. Many schools still promote destructive “transgender” ideology.

President Trump issued a number of executive orders opposing transgender ideology in public education, including prohibiting boys in girls sports and ending radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling.

Because of these orders, the Department of Education is targeting states and schools that violate Title IX by allowing boys in girls sports and continue to teach harmful transgender ideology.

But many states are defying these policies and continue to violate Title IX. California, Maine, Minnesota and New York are among the states still permitting these invasions of girls’ privacy, allowing boys who reject their sex to compete in girls sports and undress in girls’ private facilities.

School districts are also promoting sexual identity confusion. And this is occurring all across the country, not just in liberal states.

School choice advocate Christopher Rufo recently reported that an assistant principal and athletic director in the small, rural community of Pemberville, Ohio, was asking about students’ “preferred pronouns.” The administrator, Jodi Zunk, explained to an undercover journalist, “We’ve had transgender students participate on the boys’ track team or the girls’ or vice versa, like not their biological gender.”

In Pennsylvania, the state’s largest school district is ignoring these executive orders. As the Blaze explained, “The School District of Philadelphia, the state’s largest district, was celebrating Transgender Awareness Week.”

Local school districts and states have the most control over school curriculums and policies. Concerned parents will want to investigate their school’s transgender policies, talk with administrators and teachers, and connect with other parents and students to push back on this egregious agenda.

3. Racist diversity, equity and inclusion, DEI, dogma is still advanced in schools across the country.

The Claremont Institute’s The American Mind recently exposed the role of left-wing activists in developing state education policies.

“Most Americans don’t realize that every aspect of governance, from parks and wildlife departments to the curriculum in kids’ schools, has been outsourced to a coalition of nameless, faceless NGO consulting groups that are funded by millions of taxpayer dollars funneled through the government. One of the worst offenders is the American Institutes for Research (AIR),” Jacob Wehmeyer recently wrote.

“AIR is currently under contract with at least 25 states, with the majority involving contracts to develop state [education] standards,” Wehmeyer added.

Using the state of Alaska as an example, he explained that the activist organization developed social studies standards that were “a mess.” AIR also pushed inappropriate “comprehensive sexuality education,” equity education and activism training.

The parent advocacy group Defending Education documents hundreds more examples of school districts using DEI in hiring faculty and staff; teaching students about “white supremacy” and “systems of power and oppression”; and dividing students and teachers into race-based “affinity groups.”

Even states and districts that have conservative policies focused on educating students can be heavily influenced by teaching colleges, teachers and consulting groups with woke ideologies.

Of course, there are many more reasons for parents to remain vigilant in overseeing their children’s education.

Schools have given students intrusive questionnaires, sometimes without parental consent. Others are bent on sexualizing students with “comprehensive sexuality education.” Librarians and teachers may promote inappropriate books. And health clinics and counseling offices may counsel children toward abortion, contraception, homosexuality and transgenderism.

Focus on the Family and Family Policy Alliance created Equipping Parents for Back-to-School, a helpful resource to educate parents and others concerned about these significant problems in education.

Equipping Parents for Back-to-School empowers parents to navigate these serious issues, understand their rights and take appropriate action to improve local schools.

Check out this free resource today.

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