An Education Catalyst Investigation into the Public School System

Merchant Ship Collective | The Education Catalyst Series

Education Catalyst is a Merchant Ship Collective investigative newsletter series exploring whether the U.S. public education system is failing due to dysfunction—or functioning exactly as designed through money, politics, institutional self-protection, and workforce pipelines. Each issue examines what the system claims, what it actually produces, and how students, families, teachers, and communities are impacted. We also highlight real-world solutions and legal rights that can help rebuild education from the inside out.

The Question We’re Not Supposed to Ask

Public education is often described as the backbone of the American dream.

It’s supposed to be the place where children rise above their circumstances, where families find support, and where communities strengthen their future.

But if that’s true… why does it feel like everything is falling apart?

Why are students graduating without reading skills?

Why are classrooms more chaotic than ever?

Why are teachers leaving in waves?

Why do parents feel unheard and powerless?

And why does anyone who tries to speak up—teachers, parents, or advocates—often become “the problem”?

This is the question that sits under every other education conversation:

Is the public education system broken… or is it operating exactly as designed?

That question is uncomfortable because it forces us to confront something deeper than “lack of funding” or “bad behavior.”

It forces us to look at outcomes.

And outcomes don’t lie.

What the System Says

Public education says it is designed to provide:

• equal opportunity

• safe learning environments

• individualized support

• accountability and improvement

• career readiness

• student growth

School districts use the language of progress constantly.

We hear phrases like:

• “student-centered”

• “equity-driven”

• “trauma-informed”

• “high expectations”

• “continuous improvement”

• “closing the gap”

On paper, it sounds like a system built to protect children and serve communities.

What the System Produces

But if we judge the system by results, we see a very different story.

In the most recent national reporting:

• Academic achievement is still below pre-pandemic levels in key areas. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math results showed slight improvement compared to 2022, but average scores remained below 2019 levels (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2024).

• Chronic absenteeism has increased nationwide. NCES reported that chronic absenteeism rose sharply after the pandemic, and absenteeism was strongly associated with NAEP score declines (NCES, 2023).

• Teachers are leaving at rates that reflect crisis-level dissatisfaction. RAND’s 2025 State of the American Teacher report found that 16% of teachers intended to leave their jobs, a decrease from 2024 but still significantly above pre-pandemic norms (Steiner et al., 2025).

This is not just “pandemic fallout.”

This is a system showing structural weakness.

And when a system consistently produces the same harm, year after year, we have to ask:

At what point does failure become function?

The Truth About Systems: Outcomes Reveal Intent

People often assume that if schools are struggling, it must be because people don’t care.

But that’s not accurate.

Most teachers care deeply.

Many administrators entered education because they wanted to help kids.

Many parents are exhausted from fighting battles they never imagined.

So how do we reconcile this?

The answer is simple, and it’s one of the hardest truths to accept:

A system can be filled with good people and still be designed in a way that produces harmful outcomes.

Because systems don’t run on emotion.

They run on incentives.

They run on reputation.

They run on compliance.

They run on money.

And they run on self-protection.

Follow the Incentives

Here’s where Education Catalyst begins to pull the curtain back.

Because public education doesn’t always reward what matters most.

The system often rewards:

• high graduation rates (even if learning is weak)

• lower suspension rates (even if classrooms become unsafe)

• improved “data appearance” (even if support is missing)

• compliance with procedures (even if students are not progressing)

• positive PR and branding (even if families feel unheard)

The system often punishes:

• educators who report problems

• parents who demand accountability

• staff who challenge leadership

• transparency that reveals uncomfortable truths

• meaningful discipline and standards enforcement

This is where the “broken vs built” question becomes real.

Because if the system truly prioritized student outcomes, then advocating for students would be rewarded—not targeted.

Why Communities Are Losing Trust

When communities lose trust in schools, people blame politics.

But trust is usually lost for a more basic reason:

People feel gaslit.

Families see what is happening in classrooms.
Teachers experience what is happening in staff culture.
Students live it every day.

And yet the messaging often sounds like everything is improving.

That disconnect is not just frustrating.

It’s destabilizing.

It makes families feel like they’re living in two realities:

• the public narrative

• and the private truth

And the moment families stop trusting schools, everything else begins to collapse: attendance, engagement, discipline, and support.

Facts & Statistics

Here are several key data points that help ground this conversation in reality:

• The 2024 NAEP mathematics assessment showed that 4th and 8th grade math scores remained below pre-pandemic (2019) levels, despite modest improvement since 2022 (NCES, 2024).

• NCES found that rising absenteeism after the onset of COVID-19 was associated with declines in NAEP scores (NCES, 2023).

• RAND’s national teacher survey data found that 16% of teachers reported an intention to leave their jobs in 2025, reflecting continued instability in the workforce (Steiner et al., 2025).

• The U.S. Department of Education has identified chronic absenteeism as a major national challenge and emphasizes that it is linked to poorer academic outcomes and long-term risks (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.).

These numbers don’t point to one isolated problem.

They point to a system that is struggling to function as intended.

The Hardest Question: Who Benefits When Schools Struggle?

This is where the conversation gets uncomfortable, but necessary.

When schools fail, students lose.

But other systems often benefit:

• vendors selling curriculum “fixes”

• testing companies

• EdTech platforms

• consultants

• alternative placements

• private programs

• political groups using schools as battlegrounds

Failure creates demand.

And demand creates profit.

When a system is allowed to struggle for decades without major correction, we have to ask:

Is this dysfunction accidental… or economically useful?

Real-World Solutions, Not Slogans

If we want reform, we need solutions that can be implemented in real schools—not just talked about in meetings.

For School Districts

• Publish a public “truth dashboard.” Not just test scores—include attendance, teacher retention, discipline data, and intervention access in plain language.

• Audit time loss. Measure how much instructional time is lost to meetings, interruptions, and non-academic demands.

• Stop initiative overload. Choose fewer priorities and implement them well.

For School Leaders

• Protect teachers who advocate for students. A healthy system welcomes hard conversations instead of silencing them.

• Measure culture. Conduct anonymous climate surveys and publish results transparently.

• Make classroom safety non-negotiable. Teachers cannot teach in chaos. Students cannot learn in chaos.

For Teachers

• Document everything. Emails, meeting notes, student support requests, and concerns should be written and saved.

• Ask for clarity in writing. If a decision impacts student services or discipline expectations, request it in writing.

• Build outside networks. Teachers need professional communities beyond their district.

For Families

• Ask the system measurable questions.

  • “What intervention will my child receive?”

  • “How many minutes per week?”

  • “What skill is being targeted?”

  • “How will progress be measured?”

• Request data and records. Parents have rights. Many families simply don’t know how much access they legally have.

For Communities

• Treat education like infrastructure. You don’t repair bridges with inspirational speeches. You repair them with accountability, transparency, and oversight.

The Anchor Truth

This is the line we will return to again and again throughout this series:

If education was designed to protect children and communities, it would not punish the people who advocate for them.

If advocating for a student makes you a target, then the system is not functioning as a community service.

It’s functioning as a self-protecting institution.

And that’s the difference between a school system that can be improved…

…and one that must be rebuilt.

Call to Action

This week, do one thing:

Ask one measurable question.

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or community member, choose one issue and ask for a clear answer.

Examples:

• “What is our district’s teacher retention rate?”

• “How many students are chronically absent?”

• “How are we measuring reading growth this semester?”

• “What systems are in place to support behavior before discipline becomes removal?”

Then do something simple but powerful:

Write it down.

Because accountability begins when truth becomes documented.

Resource Section

Below are reliable resources for understanding national education trends, chronic absenteeism, and teacher retention patterns.

National Data and Academic Performance

• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/

• NAEP Mathematics Report (2024): https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/mathematics/2024/

Attendance and Absenteeism

• NCES blog report on absenteeism and NAEP outcomes: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/blog/attendance_and_naep_2022_score_declines.aspx

• U.S. Department of Education chronic absenteeism resources: https://www.ed.gov/

Teacher Workforce and Retention

• RAND Corporation: State of the American Teacher Reports: https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/state-of-the-american-teacher.html

Closing

The education system does not need another motivational slogan.

It needs truth.

It needs accountability.

It needs courage.

And it needs people willing to ask the question everyone else avoids:

Is it broken… or built this way?

Because once we admit the truth, we can finally begin building something better.

Lyndsay LaBrier
Merchant Ship Collective | Education Catalyst

References

National Center for Education Statistics. (2023, August 30). Rising absenteeism since onset of COVID-19 and its impact on NAEP 2022 score declines. U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/blog/attendance_and_naep_2022_score_declines.aspx

National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). The nation’s report card: Mathematics (2024). National Assessment of Educational Progress. U.S. Department of Education. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/mathematics/2024/

Steiner, E. D., Doan, S., Woo, A., Kaufman, J. H., & Berdie, L. (2025). The state of the American teacher 2025: How teachers’ well-being, pay, and career intentions are changing. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-16.html

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Chronic absenteeism. https://www.ed.gov/