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BY: Melissa Jackson Over the past two months, we’ve focused on the true purpose of education: human flourishing. Yet for decades, K–12 classrooms have been shaped by trendy, unproven programs that emphasize emotional coddling, student-led learning, and vague “21st-century transferable skills”—all at the expense of foundational knowledge. The result is not flourishing, but human withering. What’s wrong with transferable skills? Nothing—if they’re built on a strong foundation of knowledge. Skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication are important, but they cannot be taught in isolation. Similarly, being a lifelong learner is a noble goal—but only if students are actually learning something real. Unfortunately, today’s standards and curricula often prioritize abstract concepts and processes over fact-based knowledge, with some education “experts” even suggesting that knowledge quickly becomes outdated. If students can just “Google it,” they argue, why teach it at all? If that’s the case—why even have schools? Nineteen years ago, I hosted a meet-and-greet with my daughter’s elementary principal. When parents asked what happened to spelling and handwriting tests, the principal confidently told us those skills weren’t necessary anymore—computers would do that for them. Chromebooks soon arrived at our school. Fast forward to today: according to the 2024 Nation’s Report Card, not one state has more than 50% of students reading proficiently in 4th or 8th grade. The irony? We now know more than ever about how the brain works and how learning happens. Research is clear: our short-term memory can only hold a few pieces of information at once. To build lasting knowledge, students need memorization, practice, and repeated exposure—especially in the early years. When a third grader masters their multiplication facts, they free up brain space to tackle multi-digit problems in fourth grade. From Kindergarten forward, our goal should be moving fact-based knowledge into long-term memory so students can build a strong, interconnected foundation—one that enables real critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving. |
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This isn’t rocket science—it’s common sense. Students need content-rich standards, knowledge-rich curriculum, and direct instruction from trained teachers. And yet, a growing trend in classrooms is to let students teach themselves under the guise of Project-Based Learning, Inquiry-Based Learning, or Expeditionary Learning. Ask yourself: would you let your child teach themselves how to drive or cook their first meal on the stove? Learning to read, write, or understand algebra is no different. Our kids only get one shot at a solid education—we must make it count. At Freedom in Education, we saw the crisis and chose to act. We stepped into the gap to create bold, practical solutions that restore the core purpose of education—intellectual and character formation. Our mission is clear: to help every child graduate proficient in reading, writing, math, science, and history. We believe the achievement gap can be closed—not with slogans, but with content. Here’s what we need:
How do we close the achievement gap? Teach all students real knowledge that builds year after year. Children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds often begin school at a deficit—not because of their potential, but because their early environments may lack access to books, field trips, and rich conversation. If schools continue focusing only on “skills” and abstract concepts, these students fall further behind. What they need is direct instruction in a strong, knowledge-based curriculum—and the opportunity to build on that foundation from Kindergarten through graduation. Since 2023, Freedom in Education has been developing proactive, rigorous, and apolitical solutions. Our Franklin Science Standards and Archimedes Math Standards provide students with the very best chance to become truly literate in science and math—starting in Kindergarten. And we’re not done. We are actively developing high-quality English Language Arts standards to complete a cohesive, content-rich K–12 framework. We are deeply optimistic about the future of America’s children. And you should be too. As Americans, we have the grit, creativity, and resolve to give our kids the education they deserve—and our country the future it needs. I hope you’ll join us. Next month we will talk about the defederalization of education. One of the most important things a parent can do is be well-informed. Help us understand what parents know or do not know about their children’s classroom by taking 3 minutes to complete our survey. |
