America’s education system is struggling to prepare students to think critically, act responsibly, and adapt confidently to the world around them. In K-12 education, we’ve witnessed some troubling trends, including grade inflation, weakened accountability, and stagnant or declining test scores. Moreover, studies have documented a decline in other personal characteristics that contribute to success in school, work, relationships, and overall well-being. The result is a less educated, less disciplined, and less resilient workforce.
Higher education has also deteriorated as the federal government’s massive subsidies and near-monopoly on student lending, alongside regulatory strings on alternative education have driven up education costs, narrowed choices, and left students with fewer skills. Between 1994 and 2024, federal student aid nearly tripled in real terms and in-state tuition and fees at public four-year universities more than doubled in real terms. Meanwhile, quality and success deteriorated: an estimated 37 percent of undergraduate programs and more than 40 percent of master’s programs have a negative return on investment, and only 60 percent of students who enter four-year universities graduate within six years.
Solutions for K-12 Education
There are several ways education systems can better serve students and provide them with useful life and work skills.
School choice is one key reform. States like Florida and Arizona have led the way by—beginning decades ago—providing parents with a choice in their children’s schools. Now they and other states are improving education options and outcomes by reviving civics education, ensuring teacher freedom and academic transparency, and expanding school choice.
New cell phone limits and bans are also promising. Students learn better when they are not distracted by or anxious about what is happening on their phones. Phone-free zones also encourage face-to-face interactions, enable healthier friendships, and improve student safety.
Other positive momentum comes from building bridges from K-12 education to fruitful careers by establishing partnerships with regional industries to ensure that local schools align their education with workforce needs. This includes providing students with clear pathways and hands-on training opportunities.
One example of how local areas are coordinating their educators and employers is West Alabama Works, which establishes partnerships to help local schools align their education with the needs of regional industries. This includes providing students with clear pathways and hands-on training opportunities, such as programs that combine 2 days of education with 3 days of on-the-job paid training. West Alabama Works also holds a 2-day interactive career expo, including more than 100 employers, that is mandatory for all ninth graders. This provides opportunities for students to secure contingent job offers before graduation.
Solutions for Post-Secondary Education
Federal subsidies for higher education inflate total costs, reduce the returns to higher education, and enable higher education institutions to fail at providing relevant education. Policymakers should phase down federal subsidies for higher education to shift financing to more effective private financial institutions and to schools that will only finance effective education programs.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will already improve students’ educational returns by preventing federal subsidies from going towards four-year degree programs in which the average graduate does not earn more than the average high school graduate. This will improve the quality of existing degree programs and deter students from pursuing low-return programs.
Federal policymakers should also build on these positive reforms by making it easier for apprenticeship programs to expand. One example is The Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) which is an “earn-and-learn” apprenticeship program that was founded by Toyota in 2010 and is now managed by the Manufacturing Institute. Through this two-year program, FAME students spend two days a week in community college classes and at least three days a week in a paid position at a sponsoring manufacturer.
Students graduate with an associate’s degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technology, little or no debt, and a 90 percent job placement rate. In addition to boasting graduation rates to 2.5 times as high as their non-FAME peers, FAME participants earned 60 percent more than their non-FAME peers one year after completion and 86 percent more than five years after completion.
These are just a few ways that policymakers can expand education opportunities so that more of today’s youth have access to education that equips them with the skills, discipline, and opportunities they need to obtain good jobs, rising incomes, and the dignity of work.
