The crisis of students being unable to read is a measurable, generational collapse in literacy that extends from elementary students lacking phonics to high schoolers who cannot comprehend complex texts. 40% of fourth graders cannot read proficiently, and 32% of twelfth graders scored below Basic on the 2024 NAEP reading assessment, the lowest level since the test began in 1992. Key factors contributing to this decline include: Neurological Impact of Technology: The mere presence of smartphones reduces working memory and fluid intelligence, while reading on screens suppresses comprehension-related neural activity compared to paper reading. Reliance on AI: Early use of … [Read more...]
Why vote no on the Washougal levies?
This article was published at Clark County Today Jan 15, 2026. Clark County resident Dick Rylander offers his insight on the Washougal School District levy requests in the upcoming Feb. 10 special election Dick Rylander for Clark County Today Until a year ago anyone could write the pro/con on a school board levy or bond if no one in the district volunteered to write one of the positions. The Democrats in the Washington State Legislature decided it was better to have nothing written rather than let someone outside the district step up. It’s important to look at both sides of levies. So, if you were going to consider voting NO why might you do that? I offer the following … [Read more...]
How Public Education Failed in the Liberal Enclaves That Care About It Most
From an article published at The Intelligencer by Andrew Rice. This is a 3 cups of coffee/tea article. Last winter, the federal government released the results of its semi-annual reading and math tests of fourth- and eighth-graders, assessments that are considered the most authoritative measure of the state of learning in American elementary and middle schools. In nearly every category, the scores had plunged to levels unseen for decades — or ever. On reading tests, 40 percent of fourth-graders and one-third of eighth-graders performed below “basic,” the lowest threshold. A separate assessment of 12th-graders conducted this past spring — the first since schools were shuttered by the … [Read more...]
Reykdal confronted by state data, blames partisanship for bad results
From the Washington Policy Institute: https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/reykdal-confronted-by-state-data-blames-partisanship-for-bad-results Pointing to stats from Washington Policy Center's Report Card for Washington's Future showing student spending is up per pupil from $13,775 to $19,163, while student test scores show decline with "about 60 percent not on track for college level learning in math and 50 percent when it comes to English", Q13 reporter Hana Kim asked OSPI chief Chris Reykdal, "What should districts be doing differently that maybe they haven't tried before, what is your guidance on this to maybe turn things around?" Reykdal's answer was to deny … [Read more...]
Test Scores Plummet for Low-Income Students as Woke Agenda Ruins U.S. Schools – “Five Alarm Fire”
The Gateway Pundit shares this article. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/04/test-scores-plummet-low-income-students-as-woke/ Summary Pts (if you don't want to read the whole article): Test scores started falling in 2013...long before Covid Poor, disadvantaged kids and working-class students are being hurt the most Radical progressive dogma is the root cause Since 2013, public schools have been rapidly reengineered to prioritize equity over excellence, activism over academics, and “lived experience” over logic and literacy. Phonics and factual history have been replaced by feelings, narratives, and DEI training sessions. The shift from teaching core subjects to … [Read more...]
Latest Oregon testing data shows schools continue to struggle in math, science and English
This article was published at OPB. Specific information by school district can be found by clicking the link: View the full results, including statewide and individual district or school data, online here. Oregon’s latest summative test data show incremental progress in some areas. But overall, the state is still behind pre-pandemic performance levels, and the percentages of students who are proficient in math, English and science remain staggeringly low. The Oregon Department of Education released its standardized assessment data on Thursday. The results, which reflect student testing this past spring, are a one-time snapshot of the state’s educational system. Students in grades 3-8 … [Read more...]
U.S. public school enrollment … has peaked!
Today's articles comes to us from WorldNetDaily. In the second half of the 20th century, enrollment in U.S. public schools nearly doubled. There was some slowdown during desegregation as enrollment in private schools surged. However, growth resumed by the early 1980s at a little less than 2% each year. But by the late 1990s, the growth rate began to noticeably slow, eventually falling to under 0.5% annually. Public school enrollment peaked in 2019 at 50.8 million. During the pandemic, parents pulled about 1.5 million children out of public schools. For the most part, those children do not appear to have returned. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) now estimates … [Read more...]
Opinion: Where do we go from here at Ridgefield School District?
This is the final article in a series by Heidi Pozzo looking into the Ridgefield School Bonds. She offers some thoughts on where to go whether the bonds pass or not. Heidi Pozzo believes the message should be clear: people are unhappy their perspective is not being heard and considered Heidi Pozzo for Clark County Today There seem to be two common themes that have emerged during the Ridgefield School District bond campaign and election. The first being a Rorschach test in what people see and the second being a feeling of “it’s too much.” Heidi Pozzo For some, it is plain as day that the plan developed many years ago is what the community wants and is the only path that makes … [Read more...]
Washington State K-12 compensation and other data
Our friend Jeff has a website we've mentioned before. Given the strikes at Evergreen and Camas and talk of striking at Battle Ground and other districts around the state we reached out to Jeff asking for an overview of the information he tracks. Following is that discussion with links to his website and data for your perusal. Note: Jeff does an annual update in December to capture the most current data published by OSPI. This data is entirely from OSPI. Jeff amalgamates and organizes it. So if someone claims the data is false refer them to Chris Reykdal the State Superintent of Schools. I have these charts already online for all 295 traditional school districts in WA plus most of … [Read more...]
Public vs. Private K-12 education cost review July 2023
As parents finish a school year and vaguely think about the Fall we thought it might be helpful to pull some information together about cost of public vs private schools. What follows is the most current data varying from 2021 up through 2023. For the 2023 school year, there are 39 private schools serving 5,466 students in Clark County, WA (there are 145 public schools, serving 75,243 public students). 7% of all K-12 students in Clark County, WA are educated in private schools (compared to the WA state average of 9%). As we closed out the 2022/23 school year the private school tuition costs were about $9,585. Public school cost numbers may vary depending on the source. The State of … [Read more...]
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