As the dust settles from the back-to-school madness I wanted to take some time to zoom out and reflect.
1) Public education is still in a crisis.
Staffing is the number one problem. The Learning Policy Institute reports that last year there were over 45,000 teacher vacancies and nearly 366,000 teachers working without full certification. That’s more than 400,000 positions either unfilled or filled by people who aren’t fully prepared. Rural schools, schools serving low-income communities, and schools serving high percentages of students of color are hit the hardest.
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/overview-teacher-shortages-2025-factsheet
https://www.weareteachers.com/teacher-shortage-statistics/
If schools cannot find enough qualified educators to stand in front of students, everything else falls apart. Students lose, teachers burn out, and communities suffer.
2) Schools are failing their students.
The latest Nation’s Report Card results show the lowest 12th grade scores in reading since 2005 and only 22% of seniors proficient in math. These are not just numbers, they are signals that the system is failing.
https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
If school leaders and administration are unwilling to make bold changes, then they are part of the problem at this point. The data is clear. School boards are being pressured to get "back to basics" more and more. While going backwards is often the wrong direction, I can understand the sentiment.
3) Test scores are not everything... but quality of life probably is.
Students spend almost one-third of their lives in schools. That makes schools not just centers of learning, but increasingly more... central pillars of community.
-1 in 5 children in the United States is obese.
-45% of Children in the United State have a diagnosed chronic disease.
-Early onset of Puberty is happening at the highest rate ever
-Since 2007 students Mental, Physical, and Social well being has been in decline.
The facts above feel dystopian writing them, and as a teacher who is trying to help students live a better life it is disheartening.
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood-obesity-facts/childhood-obesity-facts.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/puberty-starting-earlier-treatment-children-rcna125441
Anecdotally, in my PE class of nearly 40 eighth graders, only 5 could jog four laps around a basketball court without stopping.
If we don’t have healthy students, we won’t have happy students. And if we don’t have happy students, we will never get the kind of academic or social outcomes we expect. To move schools from survival mode to thrive mode, we must prioritize student health and well-being. That is how we reach what Maslow described as the esteem and self-actualization levels of learning.
4) Fear has created paralysis around AI.
In 2025, too many schools still have no AI policy, no guidance, and no plan. Only about half of U.S. states have even issued recommendations. Rural schools in particular are being left behind, with little to no support for teachers on how to use AI responsibly. This is widening the gap in opportunity and quality of education.
https://www.ecs.org/artificial-intelligence-ai-education-task-forces/
The good news is that it can be done. I had an inspiring conversation with Hunter Hickman about how his rural district successfully implemented AI to support teachers and students. It is possible when leaders are willing to act rather than sit in fear.
Teachers do some of the most important work a modern society has to offer. This year will be no different. One lesson, one student, one day at a time, teachers continue to make the world better.
...but we also need leadership that is willing to face reality and fight for the future of public education. If we do not take action now, we won’t just have a broken system—we will have a new system, built by necessity, not by design.