Education in North Dakota
I thought that title might grab your attention. Why? It’s simple. Anything that involves the shaping and upbringing of our children (and grandchildren) is of paramount importance to us, and not just to us, but also to those opposed to our beliefs. We all know that if we impart our values to future generations, we lock in a legacy that will live for decades. As the oft quoted poem title goes, “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is the Hand That Rules the World.”
Do you think North Dakota’s education system is generally good or bad, when compared to other states? Let’s look at some ratings, recognizing their limitations and associated caveats. U.S. News & World Report has the North Dakota education system right in the middle of the pack at #25 (combined score of #16 for higher education and #34 for pre K‑12), based on educational attainment, graduation rates, college debt and tuition costs, enrollment in pre-K, standardized test scores, and the public high school graduation rate. USA Today puts us at #15, based on indicators such as high school graduation rate, public school spending, 8th grade NAEP testing, percentage of bachelor’s degrees, and median incomes. World Population Review ranks ND at #20 (combined score of #5 for higher education and #35 for K‑12), using 33 different metrics.
So what can we make of all this? These and similar sources put North Dakota higher education rankings in the upper third of the list, and k-12 in the second third. Collectively, they put the North Dakota education system somewhere slightly above the middle of the pack – not great, not terrible. Would we like to be higher on the lists? Sure, but there are as many suggested solutions to this issue as there are North Dakotans. Nevertheless, we can all agree that we must continue to improve our educational system as best we can.
However, Christian parenting and educating our children is much more than getting the best ranking. We have a biblical mandate to, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). The Bible is full of exhortations to parents that they should teach their children morals and virtues that are based on biblical principles.
Make no mistake, this is not limited to simply at home. There are three places where most of our children’s instruction happens: home, church, and school. Parents are responsible for the instruction their children receive in all three places and more. You are responsible. Not the church, not the school, not summer camp, not a mentor, not the latest celebrity. You are intended to have both the responsibility and control.
Our state’s educational system is perhaps not ranked as high as we’d like, but education in North Dakota has an ever-growing more serious problem, similar to other states. I’m talking about a problem of values. Thankfully, most school districts have their compasses pointed in the right direction here in North Dakota, but the insidious creep of moral relativism and political expediency has already been at work in our state.
Grand Forks School District #1 has a policy that allows school officials to not tell parents that their child identifies as transgender. It also allows for children of the opposite biological sex to enter restrooms and locker rooms if identifying as transgender. The West Fargo School District has a very similar policy on these issues, with some modifications. NDSU was taken to task by our legislators, with the prospect of losing a portion of state funding, for their active financial support of Planned Parenthood’s educational activities in our state. UND recently tried to adopt a hate speech policy that would penalize those who did not capitulate to the LGBTQ social agenda. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure there are more examples.
Why am I calling all these institutions out? It’s about accountability to your values. These are institutions you financially support. If North Dakotans don’t have an issue with the values underlying these actions, then let’s plow forward. However, if we do have a problem, we need to do something about them. They are not going away, my friends.
What can you do? Attend school board meetings, run for your local school board, contact institutions of higher education when they step over the line, make sure your lawmakers are aware of what is happening, and similar involvement. You might note that the NDSU and UND examples I gave earlier were both resolved in a manner that upheld your family values. It can be done!
A friend and I were talking recently about these types of educational challenges in our state, and he summarized our ideal response perfectly. He said, “We are called to be vigilant”. He’s absolutely right. The educational future of our children and our state depend on your and my vigilance.