For generations, the traditional public school has been a bedrock institution in American life. But recent developments suggest that this model is undergoing a stress test like never before, exacerbated by the recent cratering of student achievement. The pandemic accelerated two key trends: a broad societal shift in literacy habits and a structural transformation in K–12 education through the rise of private school choice. Taken together, these two forces raise profound questions for policymakers about the future direction of American education and its role in shaping civic life.
First among these is the uncomfortable truth that we may be headed toward a “post-literate” society in which deep literacy is no longer a given. States have been working in earnest to counter this shift through implementation of the science of reading in the early grades, but it’s an uphill battle: Reading rates among both children and adults continue to drop, while online consumption—particularly short-form video—has exploded. As technology reshapes how students consume and interact with information, schools appear increasingly outmatched by the rapid pace of change in the digital world.
What could this mean for America’s students in the long run? Twenty years ago, The New Yorker published an article titled Twilight of the Books, offering insight into what a post-literate landscape might look like:
In an oral culture, cliché and stereotype are valued, as accumulations of wisdom, and analysis is frowned upon… There’s no such concept as plagiarism, and redundancy is an asset that helps an audience follow a complex argument. Opponents in struggle are more memorable than calm and abstract investigations, so bards revel in name-calling and in “enthusiastic description of physical violence.” Since there’s no way to erase a mistake invisibly, as one may in writing, speakers tend not to correct themselves at all. Words have their present meanings but no older ones, and if the past seems to tell a story with values different from current ones, it is either forgotten or silently adjusted.
Amid today’s coarse politics and unchecked presentism, this description feels eerily familiar. It also underscores the stakes in how schools navigate the roles of technology and artificial intelligence in the classroom.
At the same time, the stunning speed at which states have expanded options beyond geographically-assigned, district-run public schools carries significant implications that have yet to be fully appreciated. Currently, nearly 40 percent of American schoolchildren are enrolled in alternatives to their neighborhood schools, and that figure is poised to surpass 50 percent as Texas moves closer to providing Lone Star families with the means to opt out of traditional public education altogether. While expanding private school choice could help address the aforementioned decline in literacy, it will also force a reckoning in how we ensure access to educational excellence in an increasingly diverse and decentralized environment.
Empowering parents with greater authority in selecting the best avenue for their children’s education is inherently attractive, but it brings tradeoffs. School choice promises a more personalized experience but also pulls on the fundamental tension between liberty and community—and it could widen the gap between haves and have-nots. Much like the shift from network TV to streaming, unfettered school choice risks balkanizing the educational ecosystem and eroding what little social cohesion remains.
More importantly, today’s fervor around private school choice as an end in itself obscures the most critical consideration: academic outcomes. More options do not necessarily translate to higher achievement. Complicating things further is the divide among choice advocates on accountability. Some argue that publicly subsidized private schools should face the same (or similar) testing requirements as public schools, while others see such mandates as government overreach. What’s more, there’s an argument to be made that America’s decentralized approach to education governance is at odds with a nearly unrestricted school choice system. Robert Pondiscio alluded to this issue in a recent essay called The Last Days of Public School:
Most countries fund education pluralistically, supporting a mix of public and private schools adhering to a national curriculum and standards. The US, by contrast, is shifting toward a system where public funds follow individual choices with few common guardrails—the US has neither national standards or a common curriculum.
The “few common guardrails” Pondiscio describes have largely been set by states, not the federal government, leading to significant variation in accountability measures like testing requirements and fiscal oversight. A push toward a system with even fewer constraints would likely widen these gaps. Yet, there has been little serious discussion about these potential—and not insignificant—downsides.
These concerns come from the perspective of an unapologetic champion of the science of reading, as well as a staunch supporter for school choice in all its forms. But being pro-choice does not mean overlooking the complexities of expanding educational options, just as being pro-science of reading requires acknowledging the uphill battle in reversing the stark declines in literacy rates.
The degradation of deep literacy and the rise of private-school choice are unfolding largely outside the spotlight of today’s most heated education debates. While states cannot reverse the digital shift, they must prioritize foundational literacy—especially early reading—across all schools, with clear measures to track progress. Similarly, as private school choice expands, it must be accompanied by rigorous academic standards and accountability provisions to ensure that all educational options meet high expectations for student achievement. Moreover, these reforms should focus on underserved communities to prevent deepening educational inequalities. The decisions made today will shape the trajectory of American education and determine how effectively schools serve future generations.
