What Freddie deBoer thinks about America
Writer with a PhD in English who taught writing for years, author of The Cult of Smart and How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement. Argues that academic ability is unevenly distributed and that schools cannot close the gaps they are blamed for.
Freddie deBoer did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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3 dated positions, 2025 to 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Freddie deBoer has said — not written or endorsed by them.
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Our readingThe golden age of American schooling that reformers want to return to never existed anywhere.
Their wordsBut please, stop saying things like “I just want us to get back to a world where kids were graduating high school with basic skills!” Because the world you’re referring to never existed.
↗What People Want From Our Schools Has Never Been Accomplished, Anywhere, Everfreddiedeboer.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 4 months earlier
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Their wordsWe have never, ever done well in international educational comparisons.
↗Was the United States Once a Global Leader in Educational Metrics? Have We Fallen From Those Lofty Heights? No and Nofreddiedeboer.substack.com 1st of 2 in this piece
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Their wordsLearning loss is a global phenomenon, exacerbated by a catastrophic event, not a structural flaw unique to the American education system.
↗Was the United States Once a Global Leader in Educational Metrics? Have We Fallen From Those Lofty Heights? No and Nofreddiedeboer.substack.com 2nd of 2 in this piece