In announcing his executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education with the goal of returning key functions to states, President Trump showcased Republican governors of ten states that he claimed “run very well.” Governors from Texas, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Louisiana, Tennessee, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, and Indiana all showed up for the show and smiled for the cameras.

During the press conference, the president trotted out a familiar — and bogus — claim that disappointing results on the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, (NAEP) commonly called the Nation’s Report Card, are the main reason to abolish the Department of Education.

“We want to return our students to the states, where just some of the governors here are so happy about this. They want education to come back to them, to come back to the states and they’re going to do a phenomenal job,” the president said.

The president and his allies have also used student test scores to advocate for vouchers and massive staffing cuts at the Department of Education.

We’ve already said why returning education entirely to the states is a dangerous proposition. And we know that NAEP scores have yet to recover from the pandemic. But, for argument’s sake, let’s use the president’s favorite data set to see if the states he’s holding up as exemplars of excellent education are really improving outcomes for all students.

How Did These 10 States Fare on NAEP Scores?

Most of the represented states are performing at or above the national average for all students in fourth and eighth grade math and reading. However, these NAEP scores obscure a more pressing issue for those committed to advancing educational opportunity for students who are traditionally farthest from it: how well schools are supporting students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. This is important because these are the very same students who are among those most at risk from the president’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.

These NAEP scores obscure a more pressing issue for those committed to advancing educational opportunity for students who are traditionally farthest from it: how well schools are supporting students of color and those from low-income backgrounds.

Consider these facts:

• Florida and Louisiana eighth graders overall did worse than the national average in math.
• Texas students as a whole performed lower than average for eighth grade reading, as did students from low-income backgrounds.
• Although average Idaho eighth grade reading and math scores are better than the national average, scores for Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds are just on par with the rest of the country.
• In Nebraska, scores for white students in eighth grade math are better than the national average, but scores for Black and Latino students are on par with the rest of the U.S.
• Black fourth graders in Ohio scored lower than average in math.
• Iowa is doing worse than average for Black students in fourth grade reading and math and in eighth grade math.
• Students from low-income backgrounds in Virginia scored worse than the national average in eighth grade reading, despite students as a whole performing at about the national average.
• In Tennessee students across a range of backgrounds are scoring just on par with the national average.

What Trump Didn’t Say

If this had been a genuine effort to highlight best practices in education, the president could have highlighted states that are serving students from a range of backgrounds well — places like Colorado, Massachusetts, or New Jersey. But those states don’t support vouchers or his goals. Only one state that fits that bill, Indiana, was represented at Trump’s event.

For example, Massachusetts is supporting all students — across all student groups — to perform at or above the national average, including Black students and students from low-income backgrounds in eighth grade reading. And New Jersey is supporting Black fourth and eighth graders to achieve higher than average outcomes in reading.

It’s apparent that by the president’s own benchmarks, the states he touted as doing right by all students, quite simply are not. As the limited but essential functions of the U.S. Department of Education move back to the states, it’s crucial that parents, advocates, and others keep their eyes on how governors and other state leaders are working to protect educational opportunities for all students. Those ten governors at the White House last week clearly aren’t making the grade.