LEVEL IN 30 YEARS.
AVERAGING 19.8 POINTS OUT OF 36.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW, THE GREAT
VIRGINIA FOXX, LEADER OF THE
EDUCATION AND LABOR COMMITTEE
FOR REPUBLICANS.
VIRGINIA, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
I’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET YOU --
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU, SEAN.
SEAN: -- ON FOR A COUPLE WEEKS,
SO THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME.
YOU WERE A COLLEGE TEACHER, A
COLLEGE PRESIDENT, A SCHOOL
BOARD MEMBER.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THESE
DECLINES AND BE ALARMED.
>> IT’S VERY ALARMING, SEAN, TO
SEE ALL THIS.
THE CUTBACK, THE CLOSING OF
SCHOOLS DURING COVID AND THE
LEARNING LOSS THAT THAT CREATED
HAS CREATED AN EDUCATION
NIGHTMARE IN OUR COUNTRY.
IT’S AFFECTING STUDENTS AT ALL
LEVELS.
WE KNOW THAT THE STUDENTS IN
K-12 HAVE BEEN AFFECTED.
THERE WAS A HUGE LOSS IN THE
NAPE SCORES, A DECLINE IN NAPE
SCORES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED
EARLIER, AND AND NOW WE HAVE
THIS DECLINE IN A.C.T. SCORES,
AS YOU SAID, THE GREATEST
DECLINE IN 30 YEARS.
THIS IS GOING TO AFFECT OUR
STUDENTS FOR THE REST OF THEIR
LIVES IN SO MANY WAYS, SEAN.
SEAN: YOU KNOW, VIRGINIA, I
THINK TRANSPARENCY TRULY
MATTERS.
WE DON’T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO
MY OTHER GENERATION OF KIDS,
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
SO WILL YOUR COMMITTEE, IF
REPUBLICANS TAKE CONTROL OF THE
HOUSE, WILL YOU DIG INTO WHAT
HAPPENED AND THE DECISIONS THAT
WERE MADE AND THE IMPACT THAT IT
HAD ON KIDS SO AMERICA, PARENTS
KNOW THIS, BUT THE WHOLE COUNTRY
CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT
ALL THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED
TO OUR CHILDREN WITH THE SCHOOL
CLOSURES?
>> OH, WE ALREADY ARE.
WE ARE DEMANDING A LOT OF
ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, BUT
WE’RE GETTING VERY LITTLE.
BUT WHEN WE GET IN THE MAJORITY,
SEAN, I CAN ASSURE YOU WE WILL
HAVE OVERSIGHT ON TOP OF
OVERSIGHT, AND WE WILL GET
ANSWERS.
WE, IN OUR COMMITMENT TO
AMERICA, WE’RE PUTTING STUDENTS
AND PARENTS FIRST, NOT LAST.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S
PUTTING UNIONS FIRST AND THE
DEMANDS OF THE UNIONS FIRST, AND
THEY, FRANKLY, DON’T CARE ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENS TO STUDENTS IN
SCHOOL.
AND WE ALL KNOW THAT THEY WENT
AFTER PARENTS IN VIRGINIA, AND
THEY’VE GONE AFTER THEM IN OTHER
PLACES.
WHEN PARENTS HAVE GONE TO DEMAND
ACCOUNTABILITY.
SO IT’S UP TO US TO PASS THE
PARENTS’ BILL OF RIGHTS AND TO
USE OUR COMMITMENT TO AMERICA,
AGAIN, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE
PUSHING IN EVERY WAY TO GET THE
ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
THE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS HAVE
GIVEN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO
HELP WITH LEARNING LOSS, AND
THAT MONEY’S NOT BEING SPENT
APPROPRIATELY.
SEAN: VIRGINIA, I WANT YOUR TAKE
ON ANOTHER STORY HERE.
CHINA UNIVERSITIES ARE RISING IN
WORLD RANKINGS AS AMERICAN
SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO FALL DOWN
THE LIST.
I MEAN, HOW DO WE REVERSE THIS
COURSE WHERE CHINA’S GETTING
BETTER AND AMERICAN
UNIVERSITIES, THE PREEMINENT
UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD, ARE
NOW FALLING?
>> WELL, THIS HAS BEEN A TREND
FOR A LONG, LONG TIME, AGAIN.
WHEN THE FOCUS IS NOT ON
LEARNING BUT IS ON WOKENESS AND
OTHER THINGS THAT THE
UNIVERSITIES SHOULD NOT BE
DEALING WITH, WHAT OUR STUDENTS
NEED AT ALL LEVELS, SEAN -- YOU
KNOW THIS AS A PARENT OF MANY
CHILDREN -- IS THAT THEY NEED
BASIC SKILLS.
THEY NEED TO, THEY ESPECIALLY
NEED MATH AND READING SKILLS
EARLY ON.
IF THEY’RE NOT READING BY THE
THIRD GRADE LEVEL, THEY’RE NOT
GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE
SUCCESSFUL LATER MANY LIFE.
AND SO THE COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES AND THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS ALL HAVE TO BE FOCUSED
ON STUDENTS AND HELPING THEM
LEARN.
LISTEN, THE ONE SILVER LINING
THAT WAS IN THESE A.C.T. SCORES
THAT I SAW IS THAT 30% -- THERE
WAS A 30% DECLINE IN THE NUMBER
OF STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE TEST
THIS YEAR FROM LAST YEAR.
WE’VE SEEN NOTHING REPORTED
REALLY ABOUT THAT IN THE PRESS.
SEAN: THAT’S A GOOD POINT.
>> BUT, SEAN, THAT’S A GOODSTEIN
SIGN BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE LEARNING
THEY DON’T HAVE TO GET A
BACCALAUREATE DEGREE TO HAVE A
SUCCESSFUL CAREER.
AND THE MORE STUDENTS TURN AWAY
FROM GETTING A BACCALAUREATE
DEGREE, THE MORE THE COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES ARE GOING TO
HAVE TO STAND UP AND PAY
ATTENTION.
BECAUSE PARENTS AND STUDENTS
NEED TO VOTE WITH THEIR FEET.
SEAN: YOU ARE RIGHT, VIRGINIA.
ALL I MOW IS WHEN I WAS SPEAKING
IN THE BACK OF CONFERENCE AND
YOU GOT ANGRY AT ME, YOU WERE
FEROCIOUS.
I WOULD NOT WANT TO BE AT THE