Then the GOP demagogued common core into some sort of boogyman. Bush #43 tried to impose "no child left behind" that threatened to withhold Federal education funding, if students could not pass the tests. So many school systems taught to the tests, and defunded everything else, like trades classes.

Hmm. You know where education is kicking ass right now?
In pig-ignorant, sister-marrying red state Mississippi, that's where.

foxnews.com - Heres secret behind mississippis education miracle why its no accident

Imagine a state that ranked dead last in nearly every education ranking. More than half of third-grade students were unable to read proficiently. Colleges were pouring millions into remedial education because too many high school graduates arrived unprepared for college reading and writing. Poverty and historical inequities plagued classrooms and socially promoting children who could not read was the norm. That was Mississippi in 2012. Fast-forward to today, and this same state has engineered a stunning reversal. Fourth-grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) skyrocketed from 50th in the nation a decade ago to as high as ninth, with gains holding steady in 2024, while the national average declined.

From 50th to 9th in 10 years.
The point of that is to illustrate that states and localities know their challenges better than the federal government ever could, and that's where efforts to improve things should be.

Meanwhile, what about progressive paradise Washington state? Surely the super elite children of the left wing brain trust of this country are all future Rhodes Scholars, right?
Between 2012 and 2024, Washington’s education spending increased significantly, jumping from $13,775 to $19,163 per student, a 39% increase, adjusted for inflation.
State data show that in 2023, public schools failed to educate 49% of students adequately to standards in English, 61% of students adequately in math, and 57% adequately in science.
Fourth-grade students in Washington saw a significant decline in math and English proficiency. Between 2013 and 2024, Washington students fell from 10th in the nation in math proficiency to 27th. In English proficiency, students fell from 15th to 18th in the nation.
Eighth-grade students in Washington also saw a significant decline in math and English proficiency. Between 2013 and 2024, Washington students fell from 7th in the nation in math proficiency to 24th. In English proficiency, students fell from 8th to 17th in the nation.
The number of non-teacher public school employees grew at a faster rate than certified teachers, increasing by 28% between 2012 and 2024. Today, nearly half (49%) of Washington public school employees are not certified classroom teachers.

Yeah, not so much. Turns out when you let the teachers' union have all the power they direct all the money towards hiring administrators and not pushing teachers to be better.

Because they aren't white.

Erm, okay. Why go here with racist stereotypes? You know that loads of lily-white Canadians come down here and work, right?