OPINION:
The decision by many colleges and universities to remove the SAT as a requirement for admission highlights a systemic fraud that has been brewing since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
By prioritizing graduation rates, “inclusivity” and “social justice” over academic rigor, our public school boards and teachers unions are doing a massive disservice to the very students they claim to champion. Unions and administrators continue to claim they need more resources, but the amount we spend per student is astronomical when compared with other countries producing better-prepared people.
Parents are being duped. Their child comes home with top scores on their report card but can’t read, write or do simple math. Education is being replaced by indoctrination. Detroit schools get an F for proficiency but have a 99% graduation rate, and Detroit is not alone.
Some parents are wise to what is going on. Where possible, they are voting with their feet, leaving the public schools for homeschooling or private schools.
Public schools are producing graduates who look like high performers on paper but lack the foundational skills, such as basic middle school math, required for college-level coursework. This is the product of low expectations and grade inflation.
When colleges scrap standardized tests in favor of these inflated metrics, they aren’t leveling the playing field; they are setting up students for a demoralizing cycle of failure and high dropout rates.
The damage extends into the workforce. Many graduates now enter the job market with an “indoctrinated” worldview, seeing themselves as victims rather than problem solvers. Employers do not want an entitled workforce; they want competent, ready-to-work individuals.
It is time to stop pretending that “access without readiness” is equity. If we want to truly help students, then we must return to a system based on merit and objective standards. Until we address the preparation gap, we’re simply passing the buck from high schools to colleges and, ultimately, to a struggling economy.
TOM HENION
Stafford, Virginia
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