For decades, Democrats have claimed to be the party interested in "educating" America's children. Joe Biden, who has spent 40 years in Washington, D.C., has attempted to carry that message into his presidency.
"Any country that out-educates us is going to outcompete us," Biden said this week in an attempt to sell his Build Back Better plan.
While Biden's statement is true, the education policies of the Left and the Democratic Party don't heed this warning or put the concept into practice.
First, despite knowing Wuhan coronavirus isn't a threat to children since summer 2020, teachers unions refused to return to in-person learning for more than a year. After extorting the American taxpayer for billions of dollars and demanding to cut the vaccination line, union leadership still made demands and refused to return to work. The Biden administration justified this behavior and allowed teachers unions to write politically motivated CDC guidance, delaying crucial learning time for millions of children.
Second, schools in blue cities and states across the country are taking education away from children for the sake of "equity."
In New York City, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced gifted and talented programs in public schools are being eliminated.
"New York City will phase out gifted and talented classes in its schools, opting to end a program that critics said entrenched racial divides in the nation's largest public school system, Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed Friday," NBC News 4 New York reports. "The mayor officially announced the long-awaited transition on Friday, confirming a move he first proposed in January. Students in first grade and up who are already in G&T will be permitted to complete the program, but no new classes will be formed."
Earlier this year, the Virginia Department of Education explored how to eliminate advanced placement classes and diplomas. Again, in the name of "equity."
"Leslie Sale, director of the Virginia Education Department's office of policy, on Tuesday announced an exploratory effort to review Virginia's diploma and graduation requirements in a live-streamed meeting with the department's Special Committee to Review the Standards of Accreditation," Fox News reported in April.
Finally, the gubernatorial race in Virginia has exposed how Democrats really feel about education and how the beliefs of parents should have nothing to do with what their children are learning in public schools.
"I'm not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions," adding, "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach," Democratic candidate and former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said during an October debate.
Republicans are doing the opposite and encouraging more parental involvement in child education.
"Unfortunately, we've already seen how dangerous it can be to lock parents out of that conversation. Last year's school closures were the prime example, resulting in heartbreaking learning loss and mental health issues for our nation's youth," Republican Senator Tim Scott recently stated. "President Biden and the Democrats must start putting our children first, and that means giving their parents—those who know best—a voice in how their kids are educated. The education of future generations of Americans is simply too important to use for political gain."
Republicans are the party of education, and parents around the country are taking notice.
