The Decline of Public Education: A Focus on Wisconsin and the Nation

By: Rebecca Witherspoon, April 28, 2025

Over the last 50 years, public education in the United States — including in Wisconsin — has seen a sharp and troubling decline. Once a system focused on teaching reading, writing, math, science, and civics, today’s public schools are increasingly shifting toward ideological agendas at the expense of academic excellence. This shift is harming our children’s futures, undermining parental rights, and weakening the fabric of our society.

Wisconsin’s State Superintendent, Jill Underly, has championed policies that lower educational standards and outcome expectations. Recent changes have included easier graduation requirements and moves away from traditional grading. In Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), for example, nearly 40% of high school students graduated in 2023 without demonstrating basic proficiency in reading or math, based on Wisconsin Forward Exam results. Yet graduation rates remain high — a clear indication that diplomas no longer signify true academic achievement.

Across the country, similar trends exist. In Oregon, lawmakers suspended essential skills requirements (such as basic reading, writing, and math tests) for high school graduates, citing equity concerns. In Virginia, the Department of Education proposed lowering math standards to promote “equity,” sparking public outcry.

These lowered standards mask the real problem: more and more students are graduating without the knowledge or skills they need. Surveys show that many American students today cannot explain what July 4th represents, when the Civil War occurred, or why the Constitution matters. The basics of citizenship are being lost.

Instead of refocusing on academic rigor, many school districts, including those in Wisconsin, have prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, gender ideology, and social activism.

In Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), teachers are encouraged to use students’ preferred pronouns — even without parental consent — as part of the district’s gender support guidelines. In 2020, parents sued MMSD in a high-profile case (Doe v. MMSD), arguing that the policy violated parental rights protected under the Constitution. Although the case is still ongoing, it underscores the growing tension between public schools and parents.

Similarly, across the U.S., more schools are embedding lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity into curriculums starting as early as kindergarten. California’s 2011 FAIR Act requires instruction on LGBTQ+ contributions to history starting in elementary school. Colorado recently passed a law (SB23-109) that some fear could allow the state to remove children from parental custody if parents refuse to affirm their child’s self-declared gender identity.

This erosion of parental rights — and the constitutional protections they are supposed to enjoy — is deeply concerning.

In Wisconsin’s DeForest Area School District (DASD), the situation offers a mixed picture. Academically, DeForest performs better than many other Wisconsin districts. Testing shows 47% of students proficient in math and 44% in reading — higher than state averages. The district’s ACT and SAT scores also remain solid.

However, DeForest has embraced DEI initiatives. In 2023, the district sought to hire a DEI Coordinator, emphasizing systemic equity efforts. Facing political pressure, especially after the Trump Administration’s executive order against federal funding for DEI initiatives, DeForest — like other districts — began renaming DEI positions to avoid scrutiny while maintaining the same ideological focus.

Additionally, DeForest follows a “Grading for Learning” model, which, while designed to provide meaningful feedback, moves away from traditional percentage-based grading. Critics argue this kind of grading can obscure whether students are actually meeting clear, rigorous standards.

While DeForest’s academic scores are above average, the slow shift toward ideological teaching and softer grading policies mirrors national trends that should concern parents.

Parents who object to the ideological agendas pushed in public schools are often demonized as extremists or “haters.” In Dane County, where DeForest is located, progressive school boards and county officials have aggressively supported DEI and gender ideology programs. In fact, in 2023 the far left dominated Dane County Board of Supervisors declared Dane County a Sanctuary for Trans and Non-Binary Individuals despite significant opposition from the public. Parents speaking out at school board meetings have often been labeled as dangerous or bigoted — simply for demanding transparency and the right to direct their children’s education.

Worse yet, far left activist judges have increasingly sided with schools over parents—even when they know that ultimately their rulings will likely be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. In several states, activist judges have even upheld school policies that allow children to socially transition at school without notifying parents. Such decisions threaten the constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children (as upheld in landmark cases like Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) and Troxel v. Granville (2000)).

Despite these challenges, there are clear steps that concerned citizens and parents can take:

• Get involved: Attend school board meetings, speak out, and run for school board positions.
• Get to know your rights: Stay informed about federal and state parental rights laws and be prepared to assert them.
• Support legal challenges: Organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) are actively fighting for parental rights in court.
• Push for transparency: Demand that schools publish their lesson plans and library contents online. Also demand that all school board meetings be live-streamed and recorded so that all parents have the ability to attend virtually even if they can’t be physically at the meetings. And that all recordings be maintained and easily accessible to the public for viewing after the meetings have concluded.
• Elect better leaders: Local and state elections have a huge impact. Elect candidates who prioritize academics and parental rights over ideological activism. As the saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. If you keep voting for the same people or the same type of people you’re going to keep getting the same results. If you want change, vote for change.

The public education system, especially over the past 50 years, has lost its way. In Wisconsin and across the country, academic excellence is being sacrificed for radical ideology. Lowered standards, masked by new grading practices, leave students ill-prepared for the real world. Meanwhile, parental rights are being undermined by activist school boards and courts.

If we want to restore public education, we must act — now. Our children’s futures and the future of our country depend on it.

In response to growing concerns about falling academic standards and the increasing spread of ideological agendas in public education, many Wisconsin parents have turned to alternative educational options. Homeschooling, charter schools, private schools (both religious and secular), and online academies are growing in popularity. Wisconsin’s school choice programs — which include the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Racine Parental Choice Program, Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, and the Special Needs Scholarship Program — have seen significant growth. Approximately 49,000 students are now participating in these programs across the state, as of the 2024–2025 school year.

Charter schools, which operate with greater autonomy while still being publicly funded, offer families innovative curricula and flexible teaching methods not available in traditional public schools. Today, more than 230 charter schools serve Wisconsin families, educating about 5.1% of the state’s student population. Homeschooling is also surging, as parents reclaim full responsibility for their children’s education. Under Wisconsin law, homeschooling families must submit an annual statement of enrollment and ensure their children receive at least 875 hours of instruction per year — a burden many parents willingly shoulder to protect and enrich their children’s learning experiences.

However, school choice is under increasing attack by public school advocates, teachers’ unions, and Democratic lawmakers in Wisconsin. These groups frequently argue that school choice programs “divert” funding from traditional public schools, harming those institutions. Yet critics of school choice rarely acknowledge an important truth: parents are not fleeing well-functioning public schools. They are leaving because traditional public schools are failing to provide a high-quality, academically rigorous, politically neutral education.

If public schools were doing their jobs — focusing on literacy, numeracy, civics, science, and genuine critical thinking skills — they would not be losing students or funding. The diversion of funds is not the cause of the problem; it is the result of public education’s failure to meet families’ basic expectations. Parents are simply following what is best for their children, as any responsible parent would.

Rather than using the exodus of students as an opportunity for reflection and improvement, many public education officials and activists have chosen to demonize parents. Families seeking better outcomes are portrayed as selfish, hateful, or even bigoted. In reality, they are making difficult but necessary choices to secure their children’s futures.

Competition through school choice could actually improve public education if embraced positively. It could incentivize public schools to raise academic standards, eliminate distracting ideological agendas, and return to their foundational mission: preparing young people to become informed, capable citizens. Instead of resisting competition and clinging to broken models, public schools could rise to the challenge, innovate, and rebuild trust with families. Sadly, far too many public education leaders choose to attack the very parents who should be their partners, further alienating families and accelerating the decline.