Public Schools Aren’t Failing. They’re Fighting.

Written By Dayson Pasion

Welcome to The RootED Weekly

Deeply Rooted in Education and Equity
Issue 09 | 16 May 2025

A Note from Dayson

We’ve all heard it, on the news, in legislative chambers, and in late-night political rants: “Public schools are failing.” But here’s the truth I know from experience: public schools are not failing. They are fighting every single day.

Fighting to meet students' needs with dwindling resources.
Fighting to create joy and belonging under the weight of toxic narratives.
Fighting to hold communities together while being told they’re falling apart.

I spent years in classrooms, watching educators turn straw into gold, crafting learning experiences, building relationships, and sustaining our young people despite conditions no one would choose. That’s not failure. That’s resistance. That’s brilliance.

But the lie persists. And we know why: the narrative of “failing schools” is a political tool, a wedge issue used to justify budget cuts, expand vouchers, and shift public dollars to private interests. It erases the work. It erases the people. It erases the love.

So this week, I’m asking you to join me in reclaiming the narrative. Let’s name the moments of resistance we’ve witnessed. Let’s burst the myths. Let’s tell the stories that haven’t made the headlines but have made a difference.

And while we’re at it, what if RootED helped amplify those stories? I’d love to know what you would want to hear.

Digging Deeper: The Lie That Public Schools Are Failing And the Stories That Prove Otherwise

Let’s be honest: the myth that public schools are failing didn’t appear out of nowhere. It’s been carefully manufactured, repeated, and politicized for decades. And it’s not just a narrative. It’s a strategy.

When people say “schools are failing,” what they often mean is: we have failed to fund them, failed to protect them, and failed to listen to the people inside them. This narrative doesn’t just justify disinvestment. It paves the way for privatization, exclusion, and control.

But what I’ve seen, what I know, is that public schools are not failing. They are fighting.

I’ve seen it as a classroom teacher, turning limited resources into meaningful learning experiences.
I’ve seen it as an instructional coach, watching teachers create possibility in systems that give them very little room to breathe.
I’ve seen it as an equity specialist, helping schools build belonging despite policies that try to erase students’ identities.
And I’ve seen it from the halls of state government, where decisions about education are often made by those furthest from the classroom.

Despite all that, educators still show up. Students still dream. Families still trust. Communities still organize. That’s not failure. That’s resistance.

Let’s Talk About “School Choice”

Let’s also be real. This conversation gets complicated. Families deserve agency in choosing what’s best for their children. Sometimes the neighborhood school isn’t the right fit, and access to options can be life-changing.

But we need to separate choice from the political project that exploits it.

The rhetoric of “school choice” has often been weaponized to undermine public schools, redirect public dollars to private interests, and destabilize systems that, while imperfect, are still the most accessible institutions we have. This doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. Families can have options, and we can still agree that public dollars belong in public schools.

We’ll dig into this more in an upcoming issue. For now, we can hold the nuance while still naming the harm.

What If We Told the Truth, Out Loud?

I’ve been thinking a lot about what comes next for RootED—and what it means to tell the stories that don’t make it into the policy briefs or press releases. That’s why I’m exploring a RootED podcast: a space to lift up the voices of educators, students, families, and community leaders who are resisting the narrative of failure and instead naming what’s working, what’s possible, and what we’re building together.

It would be grounded in storytelling, policy, and praxis. It would feature voices that too often get left out. And it would challenge listeners to see education through a more human, more honest, and more hopeful lens.

But before we launch it, I want to know: What would you want to hear? What questions are you asking that aren’t being answered? What stories deserve more air?

This Week’s Call to Action:

Let’s reclaim the narrative, together.

➡️ Name a moment of resistance you’ve witnessed in your school or community.
➡️ Share a myth about public education you’re ready to bust.
➡️ Tell us what you’d want to hear in a podcast that centers the people and stories behind public education.
➡️ Forward this newsletter to someone who needs to be reminded that public schools are not the problem—they’re the heart of the solution.

This is the fight. This is the story. And it’s ours to tell.

RootED Resource of the Week: Tools and Opportunities for Counter-storytelling

If you’re ready to push back against harmful narratives, start by asking sharper questions. This week’s RootED Resource is a Narrative Interrogation Tool, a simple set of prompts to help you and your community identify how education stories are framed, and how to flip the script.

When you hear someone say “public schools are failing,” ask:

  • Who’s telling this story, and who benefits from it?

  • What evidence are they using? Is it based on test scores or funding inequities?

  • What’s missing from this story? (Context, history, community voices?)

  • What do I know from experience that contradicts this narrative?

Flip the script by sharing:

  • A moment when your school resisted the odds

  • A policy, program, or teacher that made a difference

  • A myth you once believed, and what changed your mind

  • A headline you’d rather see (e.g., “Teachers Build Belonging Despite Budget Cuts”)

Opportunities to Deepen Your Practice:

Want to go deeper? Use these questions at your next staff meeting, PTA gathering, or advocacy session. Better yet, write your own counter-narrative and send it to us. We may feature it in an upcoming issue or a future podcast episode.

In the News: NYU Graduate Withheld Diploma After Gaza Remarks

At New York University’s recent graduation, senior Logan Rozos used his platform to name what many institutions have been unwilling to: the U.S. government’s complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. In just two and a half minutes, Rozos condemned the political and military support that has enabled the devastation of Palestinian life, a statement that drew both cheers and condemnation. NYU responded by withholding his diploma and pursuing disciplinary action.

Let me be clear: I stand with Logan. I support his right to speak truth to power. And I support his unequivocal condemnation of genocide and occupation.

Let me also be clear about something else: affirming the humanity and liberation of Palestinian people is not antisemitic. Critiquing a government’s policies and military actions is not a critique of an entire religion, ethnicity, or people. In fact, it’s because we fight against antisemitism, and all systems of oppression, that we must also fight against Islamophobia, colonization, and the erasure of Palestinian life.

What’s unfolding across U.S. campuses is not just a debate about free speech, it’s a coordinated attempt to control the narrative, punish dissent, and silence the very people most impacted by systems of violence. When a graduating senior can’t name their truth without institutional retaliation, we have to ask: Who gets to speak? And what happens when they do?

Public education must be a space for critical thinking, moral courage, and principled dissent, not just when it’s convenient, but when it’s necessary. Logan Rozos didn’t steal the moment. He reminded us that silence is complicity, and resistance is necessary.

We need more educators, students, and advocates like Logan. And we need institutions brave enough to stand beside them.

Equity Spotlight: Jordan-Matthews High School Lifts Up the Class of 2024

This week, we’re celebrating the intentional joy radiating from Jordan-Matthews High School in Chatham County, NC, where educators and leaders are using their platforms to spotlight the future.

On social media, Jordan-Matthews has been running a powerful campaign honoring the Class of 2025 by sharing their graduating senior’s post-high school plans. Whether it’s college, a career, a trade program, or military service, these posts do more than just inform, they affirm.

In a policy climate that often reduces students to data points, this campaign rehumanizes. It says to each student: Your journey matters. We see you. And it says to the broader community: This is what public education builds—one dream, one story at a time.

Equity isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it looks like a school taking the time to celebrate every path and ensuring every student feels like their next step matters.

Bravo to Jordan-Matthews for reminding us that honoring student success, in all its forms, is radical, beautiful, and absolutely necessary.

Check them out on Facebook or Instagram.

Stay Connected with RootED

We’re just getting started—and we want you to be part of this journey.

✅ Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook → @RootEDConsultNC
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Together, we’re growing something bold. Let’s get RootED.

Dayson Pasion
Next

Appreciation is Not Enough: What Teachers Really Need and What We Must Fight For