Dominant performance differentiates the best from the rest of the pack. Dominant performance made America great. We defeated our enemies; achieved athletic superiority; led in scientific discovery; advanced technology; excelled academically; and produced goods and services that were the envy of the world. We are living proof that ingenuity and hard work in pursuit of dreams create endless possibilities. Arthur Ashe, a famous tennis player once said on achieving greatness, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Today we are living in an upside-down world of liberal ideology where dominance as a virtue has given way to mediocrity (or worse) and lying to ourselves about how we are doing has replaced honest appraisal. We give trophies for participation. We lower the bar when performance is substandard. We promote the idea that “I’m OK, You’re OK” and, in a sick, ironic twist, the more we focus on how we are feeling rather than how we are doing; the more people feel anxious and depressed. You cannot lie to yourself.
There is no freedom without self-sufficiency. The foundations of self-sufficiency are the knowledge and skills acquired through education. Our education systems are failing in Wisconsin and across the nation. President Donald Trump made the return to academic excellence a hallmark of his candidacy. He is already laying the groundwork for the elimination of the Department of Education. Trump will do his part and we must do ours.
The Truth About Academic Performance in the United States and Wisconsin
Last month the “Nation’s Report Card” for 2024 was released. The report card is the result of nationwide testing called the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Students are tested in reading and math for both knowledge and ability to apply skills. The results are unacceptable and, if trends are not dramatically reversed, we will cease to be a country capable of greatness.
At the national level, 31% of 4th graders and 30% of 8th graders are proficient or above in reading. Proficiency is defined as performing at grade level. 39% of 4th graders and 28% of 8th graders are proficient or above in math.
In Wisconsin, 31% of 4th graders and 31% of 8th graders are proficient or above in reading. 42% of 4th graders and 37% of 8th graders are proficient or above in math.
Jill Underly Has Got to Go
The April 1 Wisconsin election is around the corner. Electing Brad Schimel to the Supreme Court and Brittany Kinser as Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) are critical steps in the battle to take our country back. Here is what you need to know about the Superintendent race.
There are 3 candidates for Superintendent of DPI, which means there will be a primary on February 18. Only the 2 top vote getters in the primary will be on the ballot on April 1. It is critical we get out the vote on February 18 to secure Kinser’s spot on the ballot.
Liberal ideology runs deep through Underly’s approach. According to her, “…it’s a very high benchmark to be proficient in NAEP” She claims, “Wisconsin has gone from 13th in the nation in 2020 to 6th in the nation when it comes to education. We have among the highest graduation rates in the nation.” Graduation rates are a measure of how many students are pushed through the system. They do not necessarily correlate with what students have learned in the process.
True to her liberal roots, Underly is focused on Wisconsin being the worst state in the nation for racial disparity with the widest gap in math and reading scores between Black and White students. She is emphatic that we “have to fix it” and proposes we do so by adding $4 billion to the next biennial budget. At no time has Underly specified how more money will improve outcomes. Wisconsin already spends $9 billion annually, which translates to more than $16,000 per pupil every year. Black students comprise just 9% of the Wisconsin public school student body. 51% of Black students are chronically absent, which is defined as missing 10% or more of the school days. They are not alone. Chronic absenteeism for all Wisconsin students is a problem at nearly 20%, as is the behavioral disruption that is an everyday occurrence in many schools. In the Milwaukee district, the police are called more than 3,700 times in the school year.
Last year Underly unilaterally changed how student success is described and lowered the threshold for proficiency at the state level. This drew widespread criticism including from liberal Governor Tony Evers. The changes are a brazen attempt to deceive and make it impossible to compare student performance from past to present. As a result, the DPI reported that 94% of public-school districts met, exceeded, or significantly exceeded expectations.12 public schools with less than 15% proficiency in reading were scored meets or exceeds expectations.
Jeff Wright is the Superintendent of the Sauk Prairie School District. He is a Democrat. The political action committee of the Wisconsin Education Association (WEA) Council, a statewide teacher’s union, has recommended Wright receive its endorsement. The full organization has not yet endorsed. Wright has experience as a teacher, a principal, and a district administrator. He is not the change Wisconsin needs.
Brittany Kinser has been an education professional for more than 25 years. Most recently she has worked as an educational consultant. She has been an administrator in charter school organizations and a teacher in both public and charter schools. Kinser has resisted Party affiliation in this race but aligns closely with conservative priorities. She is a strong supporter of parental choice and will assure parents have meaningful voice in their child’s education. She has embraced a platform of “ensuring students can read, write and do math skillfully,” and emphasizes that she “wants to restore high academic standards and make sure students have the skills they need for good jobs after graduation.”
A Chain Is Only as Strong as its Weakest Link
Effective schools are a vital component of a high performing society. They can only be achieved through effective leadership. It is equally true that society cannot compensate when the nuclear family does not do its job. Teachers are aided or limited by what happens in the students’ homes. My fourth-grade teacher sent a note home informing my parents that I had not learned the multiplication tables as assigned. Six decades later, I have a vivid memory of my mother sitting with me at the kitchen table every night drilling me with multiplication flash cards. I mastered the assignment in one week.
Make America Great Again
Wisconsin voters are once again called upon to make sure the upcoming election is too big to rig. We must get out the primary vote on February 18 to secure Brittany Kinser’s place on the ballot and elect her as our next Superintendent of DPI on April 1. It’s time to make America great again with a return to dominant performance as the standard for everything we do. Dominance is not a dirty word.
