The Nations Education Report Card for 2024 reveals a disturbing yet continuing downward trend in reading ability for the nation’s students. It’s no joke — Johnny really can’t read, and the problems created extend far beyond illiteracy as debate in society descends into name calling and violence, void of substance.

NAEP Report Card Grade 12 Reading

In 2024, the average reading score for the nation at grade 12 was 3 points lower than in 2019. Compared to the first reading assessment in 1992, the average score was 10 points lower in 2024.

NAEP continues to define three levels of reading ability:

• At the NAEP Basic level, students likely can locate and identify relevant details in the text in order to support literal comprehension.
• At the NAEP Proficient level, students likely can connect key details within and across texts and use those details to draw complex inferences about author’s purpose, tone, word choice, and related ideas.
• At the NAEP Advanced level, students likely can evaluate the effectiveness of an author’s claims, organization, and selection of ideas and evidence used.

In short, basic (score 265) measures ability to read words, proficient (score 302) implies understanding what words mean, and advanced (score 346) indicates ability to discus, debate, analyze, and rebut.

The report’s data, keeping in mind scores below 346 indicates difficulty in discussion and debate and below 302 signals poor understanding of the source.

The average score descends below proficient trending down over the last decades. It’s independent of Administrations, Congress, Governors, or local officials — failure to teach essential reading and logic skills in public education persists.

No longer a joke punchline — Johnny and Suzy really can’t read.

No wonder poisonous discussion and political violence overtakes our society — recently educated students lack ability to form opinions and discuss what they read; when a person can’t understand or rebut, what remains is shouting down and silence (the hecklers veto) — Nazi, fascist, communist, blank-a-phobe, blank-ist forms majority of “discussion” as late-night comedians or social media easily spread unsubstantiated rumors, outright falsehoods, ad-hominem attacks, and other vitriolic ideas to people who lack basic ability to understand and analyze ideas (i.e. a total breakdown in critical thinking skills).

Society doesn’t (can’t) function without respectful debate, and thus descends into mindless violence against opponents. After political murder in fall 2025, Senator Bernie Sanders sounded the correct tone, with none of the “yeah, but that person deserved it” excuses.

When scurrilous name-calling exists over discussion, violence results as the uninformed see others as the enemy to be destroyed, after all, once people are labeled sub-human, evil, Nazi, fascist, and people who should not have the right to speak, combined with unstable people lacking critical thinking skills it’s no surprise violence results as people lacking understanding of issues and replace learning with disinformation from politicians, news, and late-night comedians.

Everyone should heed the Senator’s words. It’s time for open discussion and debate, not name-calling (in logic, an ad-hominem attack, or attacking the person, not the idea). Ideas must stand or fall on their merits, not because one side violently suppressed the other or in the extreme murdered them (which tragically a few unstable people cheer on, or at least justify).

Suppression, violence, and threats remain the tools of cowards and those who can’t debate and discuss due to a serious lack of logic and critical thinking ability, resulting from a decades long failure of public education.

Honorable people debate openly, admit when they’re wrong, apologize, and change positions (that’s called the Scientific Method).

The State of Public Education

Public education has unquestionably failed. Yet we know what works — not race to the top, no child left behind, common core, whole language, or any other buzzword-compliant fad as the longest and most extensive study of teaching methods revealed a superior method, called Direct Instruction.

Project Follow-Through (1968-1995) studied different methods of instruction (think whole-language, common core, etc) and studied which type proved superior in use — and that was direct instruction, what might be called “old school” or “nuns in the classroom.” It’s the opposite of outcome-based, feelings, or the latest fad.

The question — since the longest study confirmed what works, why do schools fail to use methods proven to work? One response from Cathy L. Watkins, California State University, Stanislaus:

The Direct Instruction and Behavior Analysis models ranked first and second, respectively, in average effects on affective measures … rather than considering self-concept a necessary prerequisite for learning, they contend that instruction resulting in academic success leads to improved self-concept. The data uphold this view.

Not surprisingly, funding ineffective programs at a higher level did not make them effective … It is clear that increased financial support by itself does not lead to increased performance by students. How children are taught is critically important.

… California where policy makers enamored with Whole Language were seemingly incapable of attending to data showing serious declines in students' reading performance, including a national assessment on which California students placed last. By ignoring outcome data, policy makers continue to make educational decisions that negatively impact children.

And another response:

Project Follow Through, America's longest, costliest and perhaps, most significant study of public school teaching methods quietly concluded this year. The good news is that after 26 years, nearly a billion dollars, and mountains of data, we now know which are the most effective instructional tools. The bad news is that the education world couldn't care less.

… When it came to academic performance, children who participated in the Direct Instruction method blew their peers out of the classroom. More important, later evaluations of 1,000 Direct Instruction graduates showed that they were still ahead of their cohorts in their senior year of high school.

Why do otherwise intelligent educators not follow what we know works, and instead follow ridiculous flavor-of-the-year (race to the top, no child left behind, whole language, common core, etc)?

It might surprise many the goal of public education is not education. Some believe a conspiracy exists but it’s simpler … it’s pure money and greed. The education system contains incentives to fail as failure results in greater funding … after all, it’s for the kids, and who wants to argue against kids?

Education deformed: No child left behind and the race to the top.

Why is the criticism so intense, and why is the private sector so interested? One answer is that public elementary and secondary education in the United States is big business…

Education might be the only profession where failure results in greater funding, and outrageous failures result in soaring money grabs, more events and seminars (instead of being in the classroom), publishers pushing the latest book fads (ostensibly to “fix” education), and consultants line their pockets training the latest craze, instead of utilizing proven methods (Direct Instruction).

The failure of public education in the way normal people think of it (i.e. producing students who can read and think) isn’t a failure in the educrats view, simply because their goal is not education in the traditional sense. The data from NAEP proves the downward trend in reading and comprehension ability, while Project Follow Through proves what works (and what doesn’t), asking the question, why aren’t proven education methods used?

Local teachers (I’ve known many) can be good people dedicated to their craft. But they’re trapped by a failing system which won’t allow them to succeed, and in fact designed with goals other than teaching students.

It’s a popular political refrain “get more dollars in the classroom” … but how often does that occur in reality after the election and speeches end? The further from the classroom the larger the increases … and considerably outpacing enrollment growth, as data from the National Center For Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov) shows.

Teachers and enrollment grow similarly, but moving beyond the classroom non-teacher staff dwarf increases in teachers, which isn’t surprising as the latest flavor of teaching must be implemented. And when it fails in a few years, a new method will be introduced.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

• Race to the Top.
• No Child left Behind.
• Common Core.
• Whole Language.

Instead of proven methods, staff focus on latest fad-of-the-year requiring more training, conferences, books, and money, while kids suffer inferior education and now can no longer read with comprehension and ability to civilly discuss and debate ideas.

Has algebra changed? No. Have effective teaching methods changed? No — Project Follow through showed what works and what doesn’t.

What explains the failure? Either Big Education contains the greatest concentration of mindless brain-dead people in existence … or they’re focused on different aims than educating kids. Thirty-years of failure leaves no alternative.

Examine the data — a person’s or groups priorities can be found by their checkbook, and in education, the increases don’t make it to the classroom, no matter the president, governor, or local officials. This pattern has existed for almost thirty years, while reading comprehension continues to decline and trendy new formulas continue to under-perform what has already proven to be the best.

What do we Do?

As always, the church must lead. Part of Sunday School curriculum must now contain what schools lack — instruction in logic, thinking, reading, Scientific Method, and ability to respectfully discuss different ideas. Fortunately the best textbook for life (the Bible) contains many examples of various principles and can be easily incorporated into lessons and sermons. One-third of classes and messages should be spent on teaching basic logic, reading, and science as those topics come up in verse by verse Bible teaching.

Daniel chapter one demonstrates the Scientific Method, Acts details speeches and discussion and how to frame persuasive arguments, Paul’s letters show a mastery in organizing thought (Romans as the definitive statement on Christian doctrine, and Hebrews persuasive arguments).

The church must move away from what they focused on during the beginning of the pandemic age, during which many churches abandoned ministry for political attacks and non-doctrinal divisive issues.

The church should model civilized discussion; don’t divide over Fluff (i.e. pre-trib, baptism, stupid political issues, healthcare during pandemics, etc) and avoid gossip and slander, which many times the church descends into. Stick to the Four C’s instead of arguing over pandemics, pre-trib, Calvinism or other trivial fluff issues.

• Condition — For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23); As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God (Romans 3:10–11). Everyone is a sinner in need of salvation.

• Cure — Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand … Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1,3–4). Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). The Gospel isn’t fluff or side issues; Jesus Christ’s sacrifice is both necessary and sufficient for salvation.

• Conclusive — All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is God’s inerrant message to us.

• Commission — I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:1–3 NLT). The church and individuals should teach and witness to others, and not chase the latest fads or winds of doctrine (political or theological).

Another idea for both the pulpit and Sunday School is a word-of-the-week to increase vocabulary; increasing vocabulary increases ability to think and express ideas.

It’s time for the church to lead, keep political and Fluff issues out of the pulpit, and return to ministry and teaching, and with the failure of public education that teaching must include basics such as logic, science, and vocabulary.

Civilized discourse (both in the church and out) depend on it.

Additional Reading:

• Fluff
• Scientific Method
• Homeschool vs Public Education
• Don’t Read This if You’re Politically Correct