America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card.

The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education, from pandemic school closures to a youth mental health crisis and high rates of chronic absenteeism.

The national exam results also show growing inequality: While the highest-performing students have started to regain lost ground, lower-performing students are falling further behind.

Given every two years to a sample of America’s children, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of the U.S. school system. The most recent exam was administered in early 2024 in every state, testing fourth- and eighth-grade students on math and reading.

“The news is not good,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees the assessment. “We are not seeing the progress we need to regain the ground our students lost during the pandemic.”

Among the few bright spots was an improvement in fourth grade math, where the average score ticked up two points on a scale of 500. It is still three points lower than the 2019 pre-pandemic average, yet some states and districts made significant strides, including in Washington, D.C., where the average score increased 10 points.

For the most part, however, U.S. schools have not yet begun to make progress.

The crisis in education is undeniable. Schools are failing to equip students with even the most essential skills. Many say the solution is getting back to basics—focusing on literacy, math and core subjects. Others argue that true education must also include biblical teaching.

Yet, in a nation built upon religious freedoms, how would this work?

The Bible does explain why U.S. education is failing, and how it will be fixed—but not in the way most think.

A System Without God’s Guidance

At the core of the issue is that modern education ignores fundamental biblical principles. Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

This shows that God’s Word does hold the keys to proper education. However, handing out Bibles to every student will not magically solve today’s problems.

Yes, Bible teachings can help influence morals and ethics, but godly education requires more than a lesson here or there during the school day.

True education begins at home. Not­ice God’s command in Deuteronomy 6:6-7: “These words, which I command you today, shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

To fundamentally change education, parents themselves would have to understand, teach and reinforce what God says. These principles would then be reaffirmed at school.

Political Divide

Conflicting viewpoints on education are deeply polarized, yet both major political perspectives fail to offer lasting solutions.

Republicans often advocate for decentralization—moving decisions of education curriculum, programs and funding back to the states. This often includes an intent to introduce more biblical teaching. Yet who would decide what to teach from God’s Word?

Democrats, on the other hand, generally want the federal government involved to ensure everyone has a fair chance—a stance that usually also embraces progressive social issues such as LGBTQ+ advocacy.

Yet here is the thing: Both sides are a mixed bag. They get some things right and other things wrong.

The reason for this can be found in the first pages of the Bible where it talks about “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:17). This tree represents man’s solutions: ideas that include both good and evil—a mixture of right and wrong. Human-devised solutions, no matter how well-intentioned, will always fall short because they do not stem from God’s perfect way.

Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” This applies to education as much as any other area of society.

Department of Education Debate

The ongoing debate in Washington regarding the future of the Department of Education highlights these flawed perspectives. Some want to keep the department largely as-is, others argue for a major overhaul, and there is a push for the department’s complete abolition.

President Donald Trump has strongly advocated for its immediate closure. He said of his nominee for Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, “I want her to put herself out of a job.”

Mrs. McMahon outlined plans during her Senate confirmation hearing to shift certain functions to other agencies, such as transferring the enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Democrats, on the other hand, strongly oppose dismantling the department. They argue that such a move would strip federal support from disadvantaged students and weaken civil rights enforcement in education. The National Education Association President Becky Pringle said, “Students across the country benefit from programs run by the Department of Education, especially lower-income students in rural, suburban, and urban communities, students who qualify for federal grants or loans to receive career training or attend 2- and 4-year colleges, and students with disabilities.”

As this debate rages, remember that human solutions, whether these involve centralization or decentralization, will not bring lasting success.

Other Challenges

Another alarming trend among students is the impact of excessive screen time on literacy and comprehension.

There are benefits to modern technology, such as greater access to learning resources, opportunities for creativity using AI and other tools, and the ability for parents to supplement what their kids are learning in school. But there are also challenges. Recent studies reveal a significant decline in children’s reading habits and comprehension skills.

“We should be looking at what social media and the rise of the screen-based childhood is doing for reading skills,” said Marty West, academic dean at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Parents should be reading with their kids, and listening to them read, said Eric Mackey, superintendent of education in Alabama. “We are concerned that students are spending…too much time on the phone and not enough time reading books.”

Even in school, Mr. West pointed out, students are reading and writing less. A majority of eighth graders last year said their teachers asked them to write several sentences about reading assignments fewer than six times a year.

“There’s no way around the fact that relationships, high-quality teachers and really engaging and high-expectation classrooms matter the most for kids,” said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

The NAEP reported that the percentage of 13-year-olds who read for fun almost every day dropped from 35 percent in 1984 to 14 percent in 2023. Reading is essential for children to develop into strong thinkers, problem solvers and well-informed citizens.

The Real Solution

True education is about more than academic skills. It requires developing character and wisdom. Psalm 111:10 reaffirms this: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments.”

Any human educational system will miss the mark because it is based on flawed, mixed ideologies. While U.S. education has in the past had more success in teaching kids how to read and write, it has never taught students the right way to live their lives.

Widespread educational reform will only come when God’s Kingdom is established on Earth. Isaiah 2:3 proclaims, “And many people shall go and say, Come you, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.”

In that future system, education will be structured on God’s way of life, allowing everyone the opportunity to truly excel.

The current trends in education are not good, but they do reveal the desperate need for God to bring change to the Earth.

To understand more about the coming transformation of education and society, request your free copy of Tomorrow’s Wonderful World – An Inside View!

This article contains information from The Associated Press.