Brent Ramsey, a retired United States Navy Captain, has announced in a RealClear Defense review that Victoria Manning’s book “Behind the Wall of Government Schools” documents issues such as unchecked classroom disorder, politicized lesson plans, and administrative hostility toward dissenting parents in Virginia Beach schools. According to a news release, the book highlights how these failures undermine civic education and, by extension, America’s cultural resilience and national defense.
In his review for RealClear Defense, Ramsey describes Manning’s book as “devastating and alarming,” documenting instances of unchecked classroom disorder and politicized lesson plans. He emphasizes that educational decline weakens America’s cultural resilience and its national defense.
Manning cites figures from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), indicating that only 12 percent of U.S. 12th-graders are proficient in U.S. history and fewer than 25 percent in math and science. Ramsey argues these statistics demonstrate how politicized priorities—such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) grading and the 1619 Project—have supplanted basic education.
The book recounts how Virginia Beach schools adopted “equity-based” grading policies that forbid teachers from giving zeros or penalizing late work while maintaining traditional academic rigor. Ramsey warns that these policies foster mediocrity and undermine accountability across the public-school system.
RealClear Defense is a branch of the RealClear Media Group that delivers expert analysis and opinion on U.S. military, national security, and strategic affairs. By featuring Manning’s exposé, RealClear Defense underscores the link between civic education, disciplined citizenship, and long-term national strength—highlighting how cultural integrity is essential to America’s defense posture.
