The Battle for Iowa Education
Wars aren’t only fought with armies; some are fought in classrooms. For decades, public education has been under siege, captured by ideology, weakened by bureaucracy, and stripped of rigor. Parents saw it, confronted it, and when nothing changed, many left.
For some parents, government schools never aligned with their values, so they sought alternatives from the start. Others saw public schools as the best or only option for their families. When school choice passed, more families exited public schools because the system no longer delivered on its basic promise: education. The argument can be made that public education was never meant to be a government function, and certainly not what our nation’s founders envisioned. But here we are, with nearly 90 percent of Iowa students remaining in public schools. (Pew Research, June 2024)
For many families, alternatives are out of reach, not only because of limited seats in private schools or the lack of nearby options in rural areas, but also because even with school choice there are costs; tuition gaps, transportation, and the trade-offs of leaving familiar communities. Homeschooling can feel out of reach too, not only because of work and daily demands, but because so many parents have been made to feel they aren’t capable even when their hearts may tell them otherwise. In theory, choice should expand opportunities, but in practice, most families still depend on the current system. This is why retreating cannot be our only answer. Instead of reclaiming public schools, school choice served as an escape, a lifeline, yes, but also a white surrender flag; we cannot fix them, but we’ll give you a way out.
The Capture
The ideological takeover of education is often described as part of the “long march through the institutions.” Its intellectual capture can be traced back to the Frankfurt School and other related ideological movements, but it accelerated in the 1960s as radicals moved into graduate schools and education faculties. There, teachers were trained not only in pedagogy but in ideology. From Marxist critique to critical race theory, from poststructuralist feminism to “action civics,” the mission of education shifted from transmitting knowledge to advancing politics.
This wasn’t speculation, but documented history. Isaac Gottesman’s The Critical Turn in Education – From Marxist Critique to Poststructuralist – Feminism to Critical Theories of Race (2016), traces how these ideologies took root. At the time Gottesman was an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Iowa State University, and his book went on to receive a 2107 Critics’ Choice Book award by the American Educational Studies Association. In his book, Gottesman cites Paul Buhle’s Marxism in the United States: “To the question where did all the sixties radicals go? The most accurate answer would be; neither to religious cults nor yuppiedom, but to the classroom.” Those who participated in radical politics of the 60s entered graduate school, took faculty positions, and began publishing ‘critical’ works. The “academic left” turned universities into staging grounds, and education was no exception.
Iowa Academically
In the 1990’s Iowa was consistently ranked among the top five states in the nation for education. It’s time to stop clinging to that outdated narrative, Iowa no longer has those bragging rights as the numbers today don’t support that claim. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation 2025 Kids Count Report, shows “while 90 percent of students graduated on time in 2024, 71 percent of fourth graders were not proficient in reading (32nd in the nation), and 73 percent of eighth graders were not proficient in math (24th in the nation).”
As proficiency rates declined, the response was not to restore rigor but to lower standards. Common Core and No Child Left Behind reshaped curriculum. “New math” replaced fundamentals. Balanced literacy, influenced by whole language principles, replaced phonics and successful reading instruction. Classic literature gave way to “books kids can relate to” and lit circles featuring books on trauma, mental health, suicide, abuse, and social justice. Civics were watered down and more focus shifted to activism and social justice. Inquiry-based, student-centered models replaced teacher led, knowledge-rich content instruction. Social-emotional learning, gender ideology, and diversity initiatives were woven into every subject. Meanwhile, discipline standards and behavior management gave way to Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and restorative justice.
Parents started waking up, speaking out, and soon they became the enemy. Even when legislation like HF 802 (divisive concepts) or SF 496 (parental bill of rights) passed, administrators admitted they would simply “change the name” or work around the legislation. How often have parents been told, “If you don’t like it, just leave”? Inclusion for everyone except those who don’t align with the progressive ideology. Families did just that, they left the public schools. Now districts lament about declining enrollment, as though they are the victims, even though parents are simply doing what schools told them to do.
The Offensive Strategy We Need
We are constantly playing defense, a game of whack-a-mole with one issue after another but never getting to the root of the problem. School choice may be the ticket out for families desperate to rescue their children, but it does not save the public schools. If the goal is to restore them as centers of academic excellence, escape alone will not work. Nearly 90 percent of students remain in the public system, and they deserve a real choice within it, not just the option to leave. Defense will never be enough. To reclaim schools, we need to go on offense. That means offering a vision for what education could be, not just fighting against what it has become. One of the strongest and most proven models is classical education.
Classical education has worked for centuries; it is not a new ‘fad.’ It is founded in grammar, logic, rhetoric, and the great works of literature and history. It teaches virtue, wisdom, and citizenship. Where classical schools exist today, they consistently outperform progressive models. So why don’t our public universities offer a classical track for teacher certification? And why can’t public schools make it an option for families who want it? The fact that it hasn’t been done in modern times is no argument against it. Just because it hasn’t been offered doesn’t mean it can’t be. If it built our nation, it can help rebuild our schools.
Because education colleges are steeped in the very theories that hollowed out K–12 schools, they can’t and shouldn’t lead the way. New pathways must be built outside the public education echo chamber. The question is how do we make this happen and what would it look like?
Iowa has a unique opportunity to answer that question. The new Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa was created to restore civic knowledge and intellectual diversity. Free from traditional faculty control, it can chart its own course. Rather than relying on traditional teacher colleges, the Center could pioneer a Classical Teacher Preparation Program and an accreditation pathway for current educators as well as private sector professionals seeking to transition into classical education. The return on this investment would be measured in future generations of students who gain the benefits of a classical model. In doing so, the Center would not only fulfill but embody its mission where it matters most: in the classroom.
Such a program could train future educators, recapture teachers who left the profession, and staff classical pilot programs in Iowa districts. And here is the key: a strong school board does not have to wait. A board that truly cares about academic outcomes could propose a classical model today, beginning with one classroom, one grade, or one school. They could prove, right now, that they are serious about academics and willing to innovate where others refuse. By seeking out the classical educators who are already teaching, boards can begin working to implement a classical model in their schools. I believe parents would line up. Teachers eager for content-rich instruction would apply. Students would thrive.
Refuse to Surrender
Many parents didn’t want to surrender. They were forced out by schools that abandoned academics for ideology. The state built an exit door with school choice, making it easier for parents to leave a system that was failing many families. But nothing has been done to offer a different model for those who remain.
Choice is good, but if it is our only response, we have lost the remaining 90 percent. Iowa has a chance to reclaim schools again. With the Center for Intellectual Freedom, we can train classical teachers, restore rigor, and give parents an option inside public schools, not only outside of them.
The white flag has flown long enough. It’s time for parents, communities, and courageous school boards to fight for the students again. Start the conversation with your school boards. Have discussions with your legislators. Raise awareness in your community and show that there is a demand. Iowa, and the University of Iowa’s Center for Intellectual Freedom can lead the way and create a classical pipeline that flows into our public schools, giving families a real alternative inside the public school system. If Iowa builds the teachers, the schools will follow. Students can thrive and academic integrity can be restored.