American schools generally led the world in educational
attainment, particularly in high school completion rates, from the early
1900s through the mid-1950s, with a high point for, particularly in math,
during the 1990s. By 1940, over 50% of U.S. youths had high school diplomas, a
major global lead at the time.
Early 20th Century (1910–1940): The U.S.
led the world in secondary schooling expansion, far outpacing other
nations in educating 14 to 17-year-olds.
- Post-WWII (1950s-1960s): The G.I. Bill fueled a
boom in higher education, producing top-tier, globally recognized
college-educated workers.
- Mid- to Late-1990s: Often cited as the heyday
of American education regarding student cohort growth and academic
achievement, with trends starting to decline afterward.
- 1970s Peak: Some indicators,
including the formation of the Department of Education, suggest that
the U.S. peaked in comparative student achievement around 1979 before
falling in international rankings by the 2000s.
From the peak in the 1970’s. American has not kept pace
with other countries - and we are now #17. As the article below explains, we
have not gotten worse, but other countries have gotten better:
https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2015/01/why-finns-are-smarter-than-us.html
We have tried a variety of ways since the 1970’s to
maintain our edge in education, and one of those steps was to establish the
Department of Education in 1979.
The like below explains why the department was created:
https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-department-of-education.html
Keep
in mind that the article above has a LOT on information, so do not get discouraged by its length.
This week, I monitored a class at University High School,
which is one of the best high schools in the country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_High_School_(Tucson)
University High School (UHS)
is an accelerated public high school located in Tucson,
Arizona. Originally known as Special
Projects High School (SPHS), University High School is in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). The mission statement of UHS identifies it as
"a special function high school which serves students who are academically
focused and intellectually gifted and provides curriculum and social support
not offered in the comprehensive high school." Since 1985, it has shared a
campus with Rincon High School, a
separate high school. Courses from each school can be combined, and athletics
and fine arts are combined under the Rincon/University (RUHS) name.
Special Projects High School was inaugurated in 1976–77 on
the campus of Tucson High Magnet School. The goal was to provide advanced courses for the district's
students and explore interest in a variety of careers. The program also was a
cost saver by acting as the only place to take Advanced Placement classes
rather than at each campus. Admission
at this time required an I.Q. of 130 or higher.
In 2005 and 2016, it was honored as a Blue Ribbon school.
You are probably wondering what a Blue Ribbon School is, so
here is your answer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Blue_Ribbon_Schools_Program
The National
Blue Ribbon Schools Program was a United States Department of Education award program that recognized exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by
student achievement measures, the Department honored high-performing schools
and schools that were making great strides in closing any achievement gaps
between students. The
program was discontinued by the second presidency
of Donald Trump on August 29, 2025. A spokesperson from the Department of Education said this was an effort to
"returning education to the states".
The U.S.
Department of Education was responsible for administering the National Blue
Ribbon Schools Program, which was supported through ongoing collaboration with
the National Association of Elementary School Principals, Association for Middle Level Education, and the National Association of
Secondary School Principals. Since the program's
founding in 1982 under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the award has
been presented to more than 9,000 schools.
National Blue
Ribbon Schools represent the full diversity of American schools: public schools
including Title I schools, charter schools, magnet schools, and non-public schools
including parochial and independent schools. The schools are urban,
suburban, and rural, large and small, traditional and innovative, and serve
students of every social, economic, and ethnic background
University High is one of the best high schools in Tucson,
and is one of the best in the country.
The link below will show you the rest of them:
https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-public-high-schools/t/tucson-pima-az/
Basis in Tucson North is rated as the best high school in
the country, but University High School is not far behind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_High_School_(Tucson)
Here are a few key details:
Special Projects High School was inaugurated in 1976–77 on
the campus of Tucson High Magnet School. The goal was to provide advanced courses for the district's
students and explore interest in a variety of careers. The program also was a
cost saver by acting as the only place to take Advanced Placement classes
rather than at each campus. Admission at this time required an I.Q. of 130 or
higher.
In 1982, the TUSD governing board renamed Special Projects
High School to its current name University High School. The name represents the AP classes
offered at the school.
Because Tucson is close to Mexico, it is not surprising that
there are a lot of Hispanic students. In fact, there are 3 high schools that
are more than 80% Hispanic. There is only ONE school where the Caucasian
population is more than 50%
What distinguished University High school is that there are
a fair number of Chinese or Vietnamese students- and that could help explain
its success.
The link below shows the most diverse schools in the city,
and I have taught at some of them:
https://www.niche.com/k12/search/most-diverse-public-high-schools/m/tucson-area/
There are some people who are opposed to DEI programs,
which is utterly absurd.
Diversity makes our country BETTER, not worse.
Like most of Trump’s cabinet members, Linda McMahon is totally
unqualified to lead the Department of Education.
Ever since he was sworn in, Trump has threated to eliminate
the Department of Education – which he cannot do without the consent of congress.
So far, though, Linda McMahon has done a lot of damage:
On March 11 the
department announced the layoff of half of its workforce. The actions were
challenged in court, with a coalition of groups led by Democracy Forward arguing that the
changes to the department would require action by Congress. Lower courts
enjoined the action, but in July 2025, the Supreme Court permitted the layoffs
to proceed.
McMahon has
oversight over the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, a partnership of
conservative organizations who are creating civics programming around the 250th
anniversary of the United States. The coalition is led by the America
First Policy Institute, which formerly employed McMahon. McMahon
signed an ethics waiver allowing her to participate, acknowledging her conflict
of interest as a former AFPI employee.[
You’ll notice that she has a connection of the American
First Policy Institute.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_McMahon
According to New York Times reporter Ken
Bensinger, key policy proposals from the AFPI's policy book, The
America First Agenda, include
eliminating most civil service protections for federal employees,
allowing summary dismissals without appeal; expanding domestic oil and gas production by
opening up new federal lands for fast-tracked petroleum exploration and
drilling, and resumed construction of the Keystone
pipeline; imposing supervised ultrasound requirements and mandatory
waiting periods before abortions, as well as ending federal funding for
organizations like Planned Parenthood; opposing red flag laws that restrict
gun ownership for high-risk individuals; and supporting nationwide reciprocity
for concealed carry permits, enabling a permit from any state to
authorize concealed carry across all 50
states. Other policy proposals include imposing tariffs on imports, reducing
corporate taxes, rolling back climate change initiatives and getting out of the
Paris climate agreement, opposing transgender rights, adding work requirements
for Medicaid and limiting U.S. involvement in global conflicts. It proposes
restricting immigration by completing the U.S.-Mexico border wall, boosting
funding for border agents, and ending legal immigration programs such as
family-based visas and the visa lottery.
You know who else has a connection of America First?
Stephen Miller, the Nazi in the White House.
https://aflegal.org/
Stephen Miller is the Co-Founder of America First Legal. Before launching the organization, Miller served in the West Wing as Senior Advisor to the President for the entirety of the first Trump Administration. Earlier in his career, he was a senior aide to lawmakers and committees in the United States Congress. Following President Trump's return to office, Miller joined the administration on January 20, 2025, and now serves as Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy as well as Homeland Security Advisor, placing him at the center of the White House's domestic and national security agenda.
Linda McMahon does not have a degree in education, nor has
she ever worked as teacher. Her only exposure to education is a brief stint on
a local school board.
How did she get her position?
She contributed $10 million to help Trump get elected in
2024,
https://wrestlenomics.com/articles/2024/linda-mcmahon-contributed-more-than-10-million-to-help-elect-donald-trump-in-2024-a-breakdown-of-her-political-donations/
Our education system
is not perfect, and improvements can still be made.
Diane Ravitz provides
a few ideas in her book, “Reign of Error”:
Reign of Error by Diane Ravitch argues that the narrative of
failing public schools is a "hoax" used to justify a privatization
movement that threatens American public education, despite data showing rising
test scores and graduation rates. The book critiques corporate-backed reform efforts like charter schools
and high-stakes testing, advocating instead for policies that address root
causes of inequality, such as smaller class sizes, better teacher training, and
comprehensive social services, to preserve public schools as a cornerstone of
democracy.
We’ll eventually
recover from the mistakes being made by Linda McMahon and the Trump
administration, but it will not happen overnight.
Be patient.
Change WILL come,
and we will be better off as long as we don’t give up hoop.
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