American education issues have reached a tipping point. Across the country, students are struggling, and the cracks in our public education system are widening.
Reading and math scores are at their lowest levels in decades. Chronic absenteeism is rising. Teacher shortages have reached crisis levels, leaving over 400,000 classrooms without a certified educator or filled by someone underqualified.
At the same time, federal support is faltering. In mid-2025, the U.S. Department of Education began mass layoffs and funding freezes, slashing billions from school budgets, and eliminating vital guidance for special education, ELL programs, and compliance oversight.
How did we get here, and what can districts do next?
Many of today’s biggest challenges have deep roots. But we’re now in a moment where traditional fixes are no longer enough. To protect student success, district leaders must be bold: rethinking old assumptions, investing in scalable models, and finding innovative ways to ensure that every student has access to qualified, engaging teachers.
This blog explores what’s broken, what’s changing, and what districts can do today to adapt, evolve, and lead.
The State of American Education Issues in 2025
Many people point to the pandemic as the moment when American education began to unravel. But the truth is, COVID-19 didn’t start the crisis. It simply exposed how fragile the system already was.
In 2025, that fragility has become impossible to ignore.
Student performance remains deeply impacted. National reading and math scores have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Only 28% of 8th graders scored proficient in math on the latest NAEP assessment. The effects are most severe in low-income districts, where school closures, chronic absenteeism, and staffing instability have compounded over time.
A key driver of these outcomes is the worsening teacher shortage.
Today, over 400,000 classrooms are either vacant or filled by educators who do not meet state certification requirements. Schools facing the most acute shortages often rely on full-time substitutes or underqualified hires to cover core instruction.
This has become especially urgent in specialized areas. The special education teacher shortage continues to leave students with IEPs without the legally required support they need to succeed. In many districts, high student-to-teacher ratios make it even more difficult to provide targeted attention or differentiated instruction.
Many of the most pressing American education issues in education were present long before the pandemic. American schools have high student-to-teacher ratios driven by a massive K-12 teacher shortage. Faced with disciplinary problems and low school funding, schools have focused on staffing classrooms at all costs. That means larger class sizes — and teaching quality problems.
When students are taught by full-time substitutes or uncertified staff, learning gaps widen. Graduation rates, reading levels, and subject proficiency all decline. These challenges fall hardest on under-resourced communities, where limited staffing and uneven access to quality instruction are accelerating long-standing opportunity gaps.
This is no longer a temporary setback. It is a structural failure that demands systemic solutions.
How Can We Empower Schools in the Face of Today’s American Education Issues?
Across the country, states and school districts are experimenting with ways to solve the teacher shortage. But it’s becoming clear that this crisis won’t be fixed by simply trying to hire more staff.
Empowering schools in 2025 requires a broader approach. That means innovating at the systems level, expanding access to certified teachers through flexible models, and using technology intentionally to support—not strain—existing teams.
It also means moving away from short-term stopgaps and toward long-term, sustainable solutions that protect instructional quality no matter what challenges arise.
Understand the Challenges Schools Face
Real education reform begins with acknowledging the full scope of challenges districts are facing today.
School boards are navigating a complex environment shaped by shrinking budgets, low teacher salaries, and ongoing vacancies. But in 2025, those operational pressures are compounded by something even more destabilizing: policy uncertainty.
With mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education and billions in funding still frozen, many districts are left without clear federal guidance on compliance, certification, or program oversight. Oversight for special education and multilingual learner services is shifting to other agencies, and key grant programs have been delayed, restructured, or eliminated altogether.
This instability is forcing local leaders to make high-stakes decisions without a safety net. Curriculum rules vary from state to state. Certification pathways are being rewritten. And what counts as compliance in one region may no longer hold in another.
Meanwhile, students are still struggling to catch up after years of disruption. Many face rising poverty, mental health concerns, and chronic absenteeism, often without consistent support systems in place.
In this landscape, schools need more than funding. They need clarity, flexibility, and practical, scalable tools that protect instructional quality without increasing the burden on staff.
Integrate Technology into Classrooms
Technology, when implemented thoughtfully, can help improve the student experience without requiring additional full-time staff.
Administrative tools can streamline tasks like grading, scheduling, and feedback. Instructional platforms can expand course offerings and help students stay engaged. Live, virtual teaching models can bring certified educators into classrooms that would otherwise remain unstaffed.
But technology alone is not a solution. It requires the right training, support, and fit. If a tool doesn’t save teachers time or enhance instruction, it can quickly become a burden. The best technology is the kind that supports instructional consistency and empowers teachers without replacing them.
Reform Policies Aimed at School Support
Many education policies focus on accountability without addressing the American education issues that hinder progress. In 2025, that disconnect is growing.
Federal funding freezes and department-level restructuring have left many districts without reliable guidance on compliance, certification, or program oversight. This has shifted the burden of navigating policy changes to district leaders, especially in critical areas like special education and multilingual learning.
To truly empower schools, policy changes must prioritize teacher access, student support, and scalable instructional models that align with local goals. Top-down mandates will not work without ground-level resources.
Districts need flexibility, not friction. And teachers need real support, not just more responsibility.
Embrace Innovative Ideas or Solutions
For too long, schools have tried to solve complex problems with the same limited tools. But in today’s climate, bold thinking is no longer optional. It is essential.
Districts are finding success with new approaches that rethink how instruction is delivered. This includes livestreaming certified teachers into classrooms, using remote models to expand course access, and offering flexible supplemental learning that adapts to student needs.
These solutions do more than fill gaps. They allow districts to scale quality teaching, differentiate instruction, and reach more students regardless of geography, staffing, or policy uncertainty.
Innovation in education is not about replacing teachers. It is about ensuring that every student has access to a qualified one.
How Can We Better Support and Empower Our Students Amid Today’s American Education Issues?
Just like teachers and schools, students need more support than ever. In 2025, American public school students are still navigating disrupted learning, chronic absenteeism, and widespread academic gaps. Many are also facing challenges outside the classroom, including poverty, mental health concerns, and a lack of consistent adult support.
Empowering students in this environment requires targeted, responsive strategies that address their full learning experience
Uncover Areas of Student Need
Understanding student needs goes far beyond test scores. While assessment data plays a role, districts should also analyze classroom behavior, student feedback, surveys, and engagement levels to get a full picture of how students are doing.
Demographics also matter. Schools serving large numbers of multilingual learners or students with IEPs may need to adjust instruction, supports, and pacing to match those populations.
Most importantly, students themselves should have a voice. When districts create space for student perspectives—on what they need, how they learn, and what motivates them—they gain critical insight into how to build more inclusive and effective classrooms.
Ensure High-Quality, Engaging Teaching Opportunities
Instructional quality still matters most. Certified, experienced teachers who build relationships and deliver engaging lessons remain the most powerful influence on student success.
But as teacher shortages persist and budgets tighten, access to these educators is increasingly uneven. Many districts are relying on full-time substitutes or rotating vacancies that disrupt learning week after week.
Districts can improve instructional quality by supporting the teachers they do have and rethinking how to deliver high-quality instruction when traditional hiring isn’t possible. In the face of persistent American education issues, many are turning to new instructional models that expand access to qualified teachers and reduce reliance on full-time substitutes. For example, with Elevate K-12, districts can livestream certified teachers directly into classrooms.
These teachers lead instruction while on-site staff manage the room, support behavior, and focus on student needs.
This model ensures instructional consistency and allows schools to retain in-person support without sacrificing teaching quality.
Implement Supportive Measures Based on Need
No two students are the same, which means supports must be responsive—not one-size-fits-all.
Differentiated instruction, small group learning, and targeted interventions can help close gaps and boost confidence—especially in schools disproportionately affected by American education issues like underfunding, high student-to-teacher ratios, and limited access to certified teachers.
Mental health services and tutoring are also critical, but they need to match student realities. Remote counseling, for instance, won’t help students without internet access. Districts should consider multiple access points for support, including in-school, after-school, and community-based options.
Invest in Scalable, Replicable Models of Success
While some challenges are unique to individual schools, the most effective solutions are built to scale. Research has found that there are seven hallmarks of highly successful schools:
- Clear and school-wide goals, principles, and expectations
- Dedicated leaders who strive to help students and educators achieve those goals
- High academic standards for students
- Focus on emotional intelligence, personal responsibility, and empathy
- Partnerships with families and communities
- Meaningful professional development opportunities
- Data-informed decision-making and measurements of success
School districts that prioritize these characteristics have the best chance of making lasting changes and achieving school-wide success.
One example is Paton-Churdan Community School District in Iowa.
After four years of declining science proficiency—from 73% to just 18%—the district partnered with Elevate K-12 to bring certified science instruction back into classrooms. Within one year of implementing LIVE teaching, student proficiency rebounded to 64%, nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels. In addition to academic growth, students reported stronger engagement, improved confidence, and a more connected classroom experience.
The key wasn’t just the content. It was consistent, high-quality instruction delivered by a certified teacher who understood how to motivate and support students—despite the rural location and staffing barriers.
Tips for Fostering Inclusive Education in the U.S. Education System
Inclusion is not just an ideal. It is essential for student success.
Students from low-income households, multilingual learners, and those with disabilities continue to face systemic barriers that lead to lower academic outcomes. But with the right supports, these students can thrive.
Inclusive education means designing classrooms where every student feels seen, heard, and equipped to succeed, regardless of background, learning style, or ability.
Create Culturally Responsive Curricula
One of the most overlooked American education issues is the lack of cultural representation in curricula. Students are more likely to engage with classes that represent them and speak to their experiences and interests. Culturally responsive teaching helps validate students’ identities, builds stronger connections, and increases participation.
Districts can promote inclusivity by encouraging teachers to incorporate a wide range of cultures, histories, and perspectives across subjects. This does not require a complete curriculum overhaul. Small shifts, such as diversifying reading lists, reframing historical narratives, or using locally relevant examples, can go a long way.
Feedback from students and families is key. Ask what is missing, what matters most to them, and how the curriculum could better reflect their lived experiences.
Implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Accessibility should be a starting point, not an afterthought.
Universal design for learning ensures that instruction is designed to accommodate all learners from the beginning. That means providing multiple ways to access content, demonstrate understanding, and stay engaged.
Effective UDL practices include using flexible learning materials, integrating visuals and audio options, and ensuring all digital content meets accessibility standards. For districts using online tools, consider barriers such as language, connectivity, or assistive technology compatibility.
Inclusive design helps every student, not just those with identified needs.
Promote Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
As students progress through the school year, they acquire social and emotional skills in addition to knowledge. Just like traditional classroom topics, they should get support and resources to improve their empathy, relationship skills, and emotional intelligence.
One easy way to add SEL into the classroom is to offer more small-group and project-based learning. As students collaborate and explore subjects together, they learn how to hear different points of view, cooperate on tasks, and appreciate each other’s skills and struggles.
Use Technology To Enhance Accessibility
Technology has the potential to level the playing field when it is designed and deployed with access in mind.
Tools like closed captioning, screen readers, adjustable font settings, and speech-to-text functions can empower students with disabilities and support multilingual learners. But not every product is built with inclusion in mind.
Before introducing a new platform or resource, ask: Can every student actually use this? Is it mobile-friendly? Does it work with the devices families already have? Does it support students with IEPs or limited internet?
If a tool is not accessible, it is not effective.
Moving Forward: A Path to Consistent, High-Quality Education
The challenges facing American education did not begin with the pandemic. But in 2025, they have reached a critical point. Staffing shortages, policy uncertainty, and persistent equity gaps have made it harder than ever for schools to deliver consistent, high-quality instruction.
Yet even in the face of urgent American education issues, there are real opportunities for progress.
Districts that embrace innovation and flexibility are finding new ways to support both students and teachers. With the right combination of instructional models, technology, and targeted support, schools can expand access to certified teachers, personalize learning, and improve outcomes for all students—regardless of zip code or staffing constraints.
Every student deserves access to a certified, qualified teacher in every subject. That belief is at the heart of what we do.
At Elevate K-12, we are using technology to deliver live, real-time instruction from experienced, certified educators. Our LIVE teaching model brings consistency, engagement, and instructional quality into classrooms that would otherwise go unfilled.