Academic Mission
How we fight
HOLD LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE - We hold decision makers accountable or we work to replace them with liberty-minded individuals.
Our chapter proposed a statement of purpose and five missions that we believe every public school district should use to prioritize everything the district does.
Our first mission is the Academic Mission: – A diploma from our school can be trusted to certify that our students have demonstrated competence, especially in the reading, writing, and arithmetic basics.
Why we fight
Annually, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) publishes a report card for every public school district. We believe that all of the schools in Tazewell County are underperforming. Our issues: a) diplomas seldom indicate an ability to succeed as an adult; b) more focus on English, math and science is necessary and less of the distractions that consume the precious hours in school.
For the 21 school districts with a presence in Tazewell County, we've summarized the K-8 schools in one chart and the high schools in another chart.
*Note: green scores are better than the state average and red scores are worse than the state average.
*Note: green scores are better than the state average and red scores are worse than the state average.
Schools near the tops of either chart have better academic results and the ones near the bottom of the charts have worse academic results. These charts are helpful not only for our purpose but also real estate. Talk to any realtor and it is a fact that most house shoppers consider the reputation of the schools when buying homes and homes with better schools routinely cost more. Academics may not be the only characteristic considered, but it is always important.
Our summary now includes a chart plotting proficiencies against what the school district spends annually per student. When you review the following charts, note that many of the best performing schools spend the least per student. Interesting, spending more money seems to cause poorer results.
Insights
- In 2025, the high school Illinois Report Cards changed the methodology. All use of the SAT has been eliminated. Previously, the measure of proficiency was based on a nationally recognized standard, but no more. In the first year, schools proficiency grades rose sharply, not because students are mastering the lessons better, but because the yardstick has different has marks.
- Regardless of the state average, what SHOULD be an acceptable proficiency? The best Tazewell County high school achieved about half of the students proficient in English and Mathematics. Are all of the boards of education satisfied with half of the students not being prepared for the jobs of the 21st century?
- Can Tazewell County public school diplomas be trusted to certify competency?
- If Tazewell County public school diplomas can't be trusted to certify competency, should more of the school day should be focused on English, mathematics and science? How many distractions during the school year are robbing from our children valuable time that should be focused on the school district's most important mission.
- Are Board of Education members and school district staff accountable for academic proficiency? The evidence displayed in these charts makes a strong case that accountability is sadly missing.
Joyful Warrior's Plan
The very existence of the national Moms for Liberty organization and of our Tazewell County chapter is to assure parents' rights are respected by Boards of Education. We recognize that most parents with children in public schools cannot devote the amount of time necessary to attend school district meetings, to monitor state and federal laws and mandates, and to identify issues where the parents need their voice heard.
Similarly, the academic mission of a Board of Education is the single most important reason for their existence. Parents and taxpayers are protected by the 1st Amendment to exercise "
Moms for Liberty of Tazewell County will petition school boards for redress regarding the poor academic performance. We are recruiting teams to monitor each school district and to represent the will of the parents at Board of Education meetings when appropriate. Moms for Liberty of Tazewell County strives to be an organization that parents trust to stand up for their rights.
HOLD LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE - We hold decision makers accountable or we work to replace them with liberty-minded individuals.
References
Document - Report Card Glossary of Terms (.pdf download)
Website - Illinois Report Card
Website - Dartmouth brings back the SAT. What else are progressives wrong about?
Website - Education fail: Not a single child tested proficient in math in 67 Illinois schools. For reading, it’s 32 schools