When Activism Displaces Academics in America’s Schools
Danville, Ill., is my hometown. Fewer than one in eight students there can read proficiently. Even fewer can do math at grade level.
Last month, hundreds of those same students walked out of class to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
That contrast, between academic performance and political mobilization, is not just a local story. It reflects a broader drift in public education across America.
Danville has produced its share of recognizable names, including Gene Hackman, Donald O’Connor, and Dick and Jerry Van Dyke. For decades, Chuckles candies were made there. Danville Stadium even appeared in “The Babe.”
Academic achievement, however, has never been the town’s calling card.
Only 11% of students are proficient in reading, according to data reported to the U.S. Department of Education. In math, the number falls to 6%. The graduation rate is 62%, 27 points behind the state average.
These are not partisan talking points. They are statewide standardized test results.
Students at Danville High School spend roughly six hours a day in class. Subtract holidays, teacher in-service days and weather delays, and instructional time becomes even more limited. In a district where literacy and numeracy are lacking, every minute matters.
Yet amid this academic crisis, instructional time gave way to signs and slogans.
Unfortunately, Danville is hardly alone.
Student walkouts and anti-ICE rallies have occurred in at least 13 states. In some instances, protests have become violent and destructive.
In Cincinnati, students who walked out entered a nearby grocery store, causing thousands of dollars in property damage. In Pennsylvania, a high school protest led to clashes with police and multiple arrests.
Students unquestionably have First Amendment rights, as freedom of speech does not disappear at the schoolhouse door.
But rights exist within institutions that have defined purposes. The purpose of public schools is education.
The timing of these demonstrations makes this trend even more concerning. A recent report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education found that the average American student remains “less than halfway to a full academic recovery” from pandemic learning loss.
The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, dubbed the “nation’s report card,” shows 12th-grade reading scores at their lowest level since testing began in 1992. Only one-third of seniors are prepared for college-level math, while 32% of seniors scored below “basic” in reading.
Clearly, students should be focused on mastering fundamentals.
Back in Danville, District 118 Superintendent John Hart described the protest as respectful and praised students for exercising their constitutional rights.
He is correct that the demonstration was peaceful and that students returned to class immediately afterward.
But whether the protest was orderly is not the issue. The issue is the proper use of instructional time.
Across the country, teachers have received encouragement from national unions such as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers to engage in campaigns targeting ICE.
Meanwhile, educators who have expressed support for ICE on social media have faced investigations and been placed on administrative leave.
That contrast raises a fair question: Would a pro-ICE student rally during school hours receive the same institutional support?
Public schools should not become partisan accelerators for any side. Once administrators signal which side of the aisle is celebrated and which is subject to scrutiny, public education drifts into ideological territory it was never designed to occupy.
This shift is occurring at a moment when civic literacy itself is in decline.
A study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that more than 70% of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz. Just one-quarter said they were “very confident” in explaining how the legislative branch works.
We are graduating students who struggle with reading, math and a basic understanding of government, and then normalizing political mobilization during school hours.
The protest in Danville was peaceful. The students involved exercised their constitutional rights and were heard, at least for an hour.
The problem is misplaced priorities.
Public schools are taxpayer-funded institutions with a mandate to educate children. In Danville, fewer than one in eight students read proficiently.
Those conditions call for urgency, not diversion.
Activism has always been a part of the American story.
So has education.
But when schools blur the line between the two, students lose something far more important than a class period.
They lose ground they can’t afford to lose.
