America First vs. America Last Report Card: U.S. History

HOW STUDENTS FARE UNDER AMERICA LAST POLICIES

America First policies provide educational options for families and focus on core subject expertise, while America Last policies infiltrate public schools with radical ideologies and disempower parents by limiting options. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) U.S. history assessment is administered to representative samples of fourth-grade students across the country. This assessment measures students’ knowledge of U.S. history, their ability to evaluate historical evidence, and their understanding of change and continuity over time. National results show that

America Last policies have caused reading scores to be lower in 2022 than they were in 2019.

AMERICA LAST EDUCATION POLICIES PRIORITIZE RADICAL IDEOLOGIES AND FAILING PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Students are suffering, and parents feel helpless. America Last policies have:

• Promoted transgenderism in education despite 75% of voters saying that schools should not teach children that they can change their gender.
• Poured millions of dollars into programming for public community schools that emphasize radical ideologies over core subjects despite 71% of voters agreeing that most public schools have lowered standards rather than demanding more from students.
• Fought school choice expansion efforts that empower families despite 76% of voters agreeing that if parents are unhappy with the public schools their child attends, they should be allowed to send their child to a different one at no additional cost.
• Did not enact parental notification policies on the issue of curriculum and gender despite 82% of voters agreeing that parents should be able to see all curriculum plans and materials for classes their children take.

THESE POLICIES HAVE LED TO A NATIONAL DECLINE IN U.S. HISTORY SCORES

Since 2021, America Last education policies have led to a significant decline in student performance, particularly in mathematics.

• America Last policies have caused reading scores to be lower in 2022 than they were in 2019.
• 60% of eighth-grade students performed at or above the NAEP basic level in 2022, six percentage points lower than in 2018.
• Compared to 2018, the average U.S. history score in 2022 for eighth-grade students was five points lower in the democracy theme and the culture and technology themes, as well as five points lower than all previous assessment years going back to 1994 for both themes.
• As a result, NAEP math, reading, and history scores for students of varying ability levels have dropped to a 30-year low. This outcome underscores the urgent need for universal school choice to address these disparities and improve educational outcomes across the board.

AMERICA FIRST POLICIES PRIORITIZE STUDENT OUTCOMES AND EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS

America First policies will:

• Reinstate the 1776 Commission to promote patriotic civics education, ensuring students receive excellent teaching in core subjects reading, math, history, and Western Civilization.
• Restore parental rights in education, remove critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements from school grants, and reduce the strings attached to federal K-12 funding to reduce federal bureaucratic control over local classrooms.
• Increase school choice options for families nationwide.
• Encourage states to reform high school graduation standards to align with alternatives to a “college for all” mindset that recognizes more than one pathway to success, including military enlistment and apprenticeship readiness.
• Reform teacher pay by implementing merit pay, ending teacher tenure and instead rewarding excellence in teaching and attracting top talent to the profession.
• Ensure safe, secure, and drug-free schools, creating a conducive learning environment for all students.

THE TAKEAWAY

America First policies are designed to improve student outcomes by expanding educational options and focusing on traditional academic subjects rather than radical ideologies. School choice is significantly associated with higher student achievement and increased parent satisfaction. Under America First policies, school choice was at the forefront, and student achievement was rising. America Last policies have caused our children to suffer academically, but when families have options, the students of our Nation succeed and thrive.