Before life shut down in 2020, Arizona third graders were reading proficiently at around 46%. Obviously this wasn’t perfect, but it matched the rest of America.
Education is the basis for humanity. Without critical thinking skills, we'd be no smarter than animals. As such, schooling is unfathomably important for the youth of America.
Fun Fact about me: Through my entire primary education (K-12), I never missed a day of school. I never took a sick day, never took off for vacation, and never just skipped for the fun of it. Heck, I even attended class on Senior Skip Day just to keep that streak alive.
My freshman year of college, I was on scholarship to the University of Florida School of Music Education to follow my dream of becoming a music teacher and band director.