A former teacher is going viral for talking about how parents deny their children's academic performance

Recently, more than 5 million people watched a video by TikTok user and teacher @qbthedon, who brought public attention to how students are falling behind in school.  @qbthedon said: “I teach 7th grade, and they are still performing at a 4th grade level

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Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001 as a way to hold schools accountable for the academic progress of their students.  The law was not without controversy, as it punishes schools that do not show improvement.  In 2015, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to replace NCLB, which continues to face criticism.

For the most part, teachers don't make the mistake of pointing out that students are falling behind — according to federal data released in early 2023, public school leaders estimated that about half, or 49%, of their students started the 2022-23 school year a grade level behind in a subject area.  At least one