Brandon Allen
May 28, 2026 · Newsletter
The Education System Is Falling Behind the Modern Economy
Public education remains one of the most important investments the United States has ever made.
For generations, it created pathways into the middle class, helped build the strongest workforce in the world, and gave millions of Americans an opportunity to move forward regardless of where they came from.
But today, more families are feeling the strain of a system that is no longer fully aligned with the realities of modern life, modern work, or the modern economy. That strain shows up everywhere.
Parents struggle to afford childcare while trying to remain active in the workforce. Teachers leave the profession under growing financial and emotional pressure. Students graduate into an economy that increasingly demands specialized skills, certifications, or degrees that many families simply cannot afford. That access under the current administration is becoming increasingly more difficult.
At the same time, public schools continue operating under funding structures that often depend heavily on local property taxes, creating significant differences in opportunity between communities.
The result is not a system that has completely failed. It is a system that has gradually fallen out of alignment with the economic realities facing American families.
The longer we delay meaningful reform, the more costly that misalignment becomes
For decades, policymakers at both the state and federal levels have claimed to make attempts to improve educational outcomes through accountability systems, testing standards, curriculum reforms, and administrative restructuring. Some of those efforts improved transparency and consistency. Some helped identify achievement gaps that had gone ignored for years. Some of those changes have had severe consequences that contradict the goal of a proper education.
Many families feel like the core problems are becoming increasingly apparent.
Teacher shortages continue to grow in both rural and urban districts. Classroom sizes increase while educators are asked to do more with less support. School infrastructure ages and schools are consolidating at high rates. Student debt continues shaping financial decisions years after graduation.
Meanwhile, employers across the country increasingly report difficulty finding enough workers prepared for rapidly evolving industries and workforce demands.
When education systems fail to keep pace with workforce realities, the economic consequences do not stop at the classroom door.
Businesses struggle to hire. Families face greater financial instability. Workforce participation declines when childcare becomes unaffordable or inaccessible. Young adults delay buying homes, starting businesses, or building long-term financial stability because of education-related debt burdens.
Eventually, the broader economy absorbs those costs. That is why education and childcare should not be viewed simply as government spending programs. They are part of the economic infrastructure.
Just like roads, utilities, ports, and broadband access help support commerce and economic growth, education and childcare systems help support workforce participation, labor productivity, and long-term economic stability.
When those systems weaken, the economy weakens with them.
Right now, too many families feel like they are being asked to carry more of the burden alone.
This reality becomes especially clear in childcare
Across the country, many parents face childcare costs that rival mortgage payments or college tuition. In some households, one parent is forced to reduce hours or leave the workforce entirely because childcare simply costs too much.
That is not just a family issue. It is a workforce issue.
Every time a parent is pushed out of the workforce because childcare is unavailable or unaffordable, businesses lose workers, local economies lose productivity, and families lose financial stability.
The same is true in education. When schools lack resources, students often lose access to advanced coursework, career preparation programs, trade pathways, updated technology, or individualized academic support. Over time, those gaps compound economically.
Students who are underprepared for higher education or workforce entry often require additional remediation, retraining, or financial assistance later in life.
In other words, underinvestment today creates higher costs tomorrow. That is the conversation America must begin having more honestly.
The question is no longer whether education and childcare matter. The question is whether we are willing to modernize those systems fast enough to meet the demands of today’s economy before the long-term consequences become even more expensive for working families and future generations.
Because of this simple truth, the economy of the future cannot be built on an education system and childcare infrastructure that families increasingly cannot afford to navigate.
The longer we wait to address it, the harder and more expensive the solution becomes.
Paid For and Authorized by Kelly Thompson For Congress