Can’t Read, But Can March: Protest Boot Camps, The New Education Model

Seventy percent of American students are not proficient in reading or math. Let that sink in. Seven out of ten kids can’t meet basic standards, the kind of skills previous generations mastered before recess. And while parents are scrambling to tutor, reteach, and fill in the gaps, the nation’s largest teachers’ union has apparently decided its priority is… protest training.

According to a report from Defending Education, the National Education Association (NEA) has funneled millions of dollars since 2020 to a far‑left organization that organizes May Day “walk‑in” demonstrations and pushes agendas like “tax the rich” and abolishing ICE. Teachers unions are turning children into far-left political pawns, a complete betrayal of public trust.

For many California families, this isn’t exactly breaking news. Parents have been watching this shift for decades. While kids struggled with reading comprehension, math basics, and can't even explain the three branches of government, unions are busy championing causes that have nothing to do with education. As one commentator noted, the conditions that originally justified these unions have long since disappeared but instead of declaring victory and going home, they’ve reinvented themselves as political machines.

“Gone are the days of these public sector unions simply fighting for better wages, insurance, and working conditions,” Staley said. “They are leftwing political activist organizations who benefit fiscally from taxpayer dollars.”

Some commentators have floated dramatic solutions, from privatizing the entire education system to eliminating public‑sector unions altogether, citing conflicts of interest in which unions negotiate with elected officials whose campaigns they help fund. I'm all for stopping all union donations to politicians. Others simply want schools to return to the basics: reading, math, civics, and history.

And here’s the part that should keep every Californian up at night: What does our future look like when an entire generation of students kids who can’t read, can’t do math, and can’t navigate basic civic life are the ones who will eventually be running the country? It's downright scary.