Department of Ed Not Needed – Catholic Schools Are Doing More with Less:
National test scores show that if the Catholic school system were a state, it would rank number one in the nation. In contrast, the U.S. public school system, managed by the Department of Education, now ranks only 18th in the world.
In March, President Trump issued an executive order to begin closing the U.S. Department of Education, aiming to return control over education to states, parents, and local communities. The order rightly frames the Department as costly, ineffective, and unaccountable, pointing to decades of poor student performance as evidence of the failure of federal oversight.
Created in 1979 under pressure from teachers’ unions, the Department has overseen ballooning education budgets, over $200 billion during the COVID era alone, while national test scores have stagnated. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, 70% of 8th graders are below proficiency in reading, and 72% in math.
Additionally, the order mandates that federal education funds comply with new restrictions, prohibiting support for initiatives tied to “diversity, equity, and inclusion” or gender ideology.
These results show that Catholic schools deliver better outcomes at a fraction of the cost, challenging the assumption that bigger federal budgets through the Department of Education are necessary to ensure educational quality. Public schools spend about $20,000 per student annually, while Catholic elementary schools average just $4,340 in tuition, and high schools $9,090, less than half the cost of public or other private schools.
Catholic schools welcome students of all backgrounds without quotas, admitting families as they come. As a result, their student population is highly diverse: 21% are racial minorities, 18.6% Hispanic, and20% of students come from other faiths.
The point of this article isn’t that everyone should attend Catholic school, but rather that private education, especially religious-based schools, can deliver far better outcomes than public schools at a fraction of the cost.
Without teachers’ unions, DEI mandates, or political agendas, and with educators truly dedicated to helping students learn, these schools show what’s possible: better results, stronger communities, and real accountability, without Washington in the way.
RIP – Actor George Wendt Who Portrayed Norm on Classic TV Show ‘Cheers’ Passes Away at 76:
George Wendt, the actor who portrayed Norm Peterson, a key character on the classic sitcomCheers, has passed away at the age of 76. Wendt apparently passed peacefully in his sleep.
Cheersran for 11 seasons and was one of the most popular TV shows in the country at its height. The show’s run began in 1982 and ended in 1993, shortly before the advent of the internet.
Norm was known for his grand entrances and his regular spot at the end of the bar where he would sit and enjoy a beer.
Protests Erupt Across China as Factories, Schools, and Construction Sites Struggle to Pay Workers:
A fresh wave of protests has reportedly broken out in cities across China, as angry workers demand their unpaid wages, and residents rebel against a myriad of new taxes and fees imposed by cash-strapped municipal governments.
Worker complaints about unpaid wages boiled over into street protests of unusual size and persistence in April, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs bit into the already shaky Chinese economy. Some demonstrators complained they had unpaid back wages and benefits stretching back into 2023, when it became clear that China’s post-pandemic recovery would be far less robust than Beijing had predicted.
Demonstrators also complained that the Chinese government has been lying about the state of the economy for years, so Trump’s tariffs hit businesses much harder than anticipated. Many companies had already gone deep into debt borrowing money to make payroll, so the reduced income from tariffs was even more devastating for their debt-encrusted balance sheets.
