Sheila Qualls: Minnesota’s standards are declining, and our children pay the price

After years of reporting on this issue, I had had enough and took it upon myself to impact the lives of as many children as I could. 

Minnesota
Left: Shutterstock; Right: Sheila Qualls/Washington Academy

What do you call an organization backed by $23.2 billion in spending that is unable to meet the most basic needs for half of those they serve? The Minnesota education system.

For years, schools in our state have been on the decline. Dating back to even before the COVID-19 pandemic created a massive gap for low-income students, scores were on the decline. In 2024, despite an additional $2.2 billion in spending bringing the total for Minnesota schools to more than a third of the state’s budget, only 45.5% of students were proficient in math and just 49.9% were at a proficient reading level. That is a 10% drop in both categories from just five years ago.

This decline has been around for a while now, so much so that as a reporter I covered this crisis for years. In 2023, I reported that 75 schools from across the state did not have a single student proficient in math. When House Democrats allocated the additional spending in education, nearly half of it was already allocated to different mandates coming down from the state government.

More money is not improving outcomes in our children’s classrooms. We’ve tried it, and there is only so much more that taxpayers will take when it comes to their dollars funding failed curricula. After years of reporting on this issue, I had had enough and took it upon myself to impact the lives of as many children as I could.

We started the Washington Academy to do just that. Washington Academy is a student-focused, faith-based school devoted to raising academic standards and providing families with an affordable, high-quality education. We work with families to ensure that tuition is affordable and that any child, regardless of their financial status, has access to a quality education.

Our style is not the only way to improve outcomes for Minnesota children. While we believe that being rooted in faith is a strong foundation for a child’s learning, many secular schools have adopted similar styles that are having a profound impact on children. There are many ways to improve a child’s educational experience, outcomes, and opportunities, but the Minnesota government has unfortunately not tapped into them in any way, shape, or form.

After years covering this issue as a reporter, living this experience as a mom homeschooling five children, and now as the director of the Washington Academy, it has become clear to me that something needs to change in Minnesota schooling to create better outcomes for our children. Our schools have become too distracted by buzzwords and industry fads rather than zeroing in on the basics of our education. Our math and reading scores have been on the decline for at least half a decade. It’s past time we take stock of how and what we are teaching our kids so we can give them a better opportunity.

It starts with making education, not politics, the foundation of our education system once again.

Sheila Qualls is the executive director of Washington Academy.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not represent an official position of Alpha News. 

 

Sheila Qualls

Sheila Qualls is an award-winning journalist and former civilian editor of an Army newspaper. Prior to joining Alpha News, she was a Christian Marriage and Family columnist at Patheos.com and a personal coach. Her work has been published in The Upper Room, the MOPS blog, Grown and Flown, and The Christian Post. She speaks nationally on issues involving faith and family.