Activism in the Classroom, Illiteracy in the Nation

Written by Dr. Everett Piper

Last week, I argued in this column that if you want to know what has caused the chaos in our country, you need look no further than what is being taught in our public schools. This week, I provide the proof. Consider the following.

In New York City, the Chloe Day School just held a protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement inside one of its kindergarten classrooms, where 5- and 6-year-old children were being taught to chant “No Donald Trump” and hold up protest signs referencing how other children are being taken away from their families by ICE.… Continue Reading

The Institutions That Taught America to Hate Itself

Written by Dr. Everett Piper

Have you ever wondered how we got into the mess we’re in, how Minneapolis became so ungovernable, how anarchy replaced civility and how rioting replaced the rule of law?

Have you ever asked yourself how this societal meltdown happened and how so many people have come to hate American culture, values and heritage so much that they would rather tear it all down than work together to preserve it?

Have you ever wondered how we became the “divided states” rather than the “United States” and how e pluribus unum (out of many, one) became “us against them” almost overnight?… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: The Success Sequence to Save Gen Z

Written by Alyssa Sonnenburg

Public schools have long failed our children. Academic scores continue to drop and moral decay continues to creep in through the forms of critical race theory, gender theory, the usurpation of parental authority, and more.

Scott Phelps, head of the Abstinence and Marriage Partnership organization, reveals another way that public education is failing our children:

Sex education.

“Planned Parenthood is not only the largest provider of abortions in America, they are also the largest provider of sex education programs in America.

SPOTLIGHT: Mental Health Screenings in Public Schools

Written by Alyssa Sonnenburg

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Reverend Caesar LeFlore discusses the word of Good Soil, Good Seed, the reality of mental health screenings in Illinois government schools, and more.

The school systems aren’t failing, they are performing exactly as they were designed to perform and they were never intended to produce not only Christian children [with] Biblical worldviews, but they also aren’t there to teach them how to be logical or how to be learners.

SPOTLIGHT: Pastors on Christian Education

Written by Alyssa Sonnenburg

This week’s Spotlight episode features a conversation about Christian education between Pastor Caesar LeFlore and Pastor Courtney Lewis of Cornerstone Baptist Church located in Chicago.

Five years ago, pastor Courtney Lewis was involved in starting a school out of his church– Cornerstone Baptist Academy.

“[Chicago public schools] have failed our youth…

People nationwide were exiting public schools to the tune of about a million people over the past ten years.

We had no money, no facilities, and no staff… In the course of three months, we watched the Lord bring in all of those resources to allow us to open our doors.”

SPOTLIGHT: Christian Education with Voddie Baucham

Written by Alyssa Sonnenburg

In memory of Dr. Voddie Baucham, this week’s episode of Spotlight features IFI’s interview with Voddie Baucham at the 2023 Black Conservative Summit.

Dr. Baucham was a husband, father, pastor, author, was the dean of the school of divinity at African Christian University in Zambia for 9 years, and he also served as the first president of Founders Seminary in Cape Corral, Florida. He and his bold ministry will be greatly missed by the staff at Illinois Family Institute.… Continue Reading

Shameful “Karma” Post by D300 School Board President

Written by David E. Smith

See update below!

Community Unit School District 300 (D300), based in Algonquin, Illinois, is the sixth-largest district in the state, serving families across Kane, McHenry, Cook, and DeKalb counties. While the school board ought to be focused on academic excellence and serving students, instead, the spotlight has been stolen by Vice President of the Board of Education, Nancy Zettler—whose reckless words have inflamed the community and dishonored her office.

Disgraceful Words

On September 10, 2025, Christian conservative apologist Charlie Kirk was assassinated.… Continue Reading

Why Parents Are Abandoning Public Schools — By The Millions

Written by Dr. Everett Piper

If you’ve ever wondered why America’s public schools receive so much criticism today and why so many hardworking families are making considerable financial sacrifices to enroll their children in private education instead, consider three recent headline stories.

First is the case in Michigan, where a public school teacher with 31 years of seniority decided to quit her job rather than succumb to a test that required her to “rate her level of Whiteness” as a means of improving her teaching skills.… Continue Reading

Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth

Written by Dr. Everett Piper

As a university president, I had a front-row seat as I watched hundreds of students descend onto my campus every year. Each fall, I watched with growing discomfort as the increase in self-centeredness became more apparent.

From the athlete who was upset because his coach was too harsh, to the student who failed a test because the professor was “unfair,” to the coed who was incredulous because a faculty member dared to penalize her for skipping class, over and over again, I watched as one generation after another strutted into the classroom with the confidence that they were God’s gift to the ivory tower, regardless of their academic performance (or lack thereof).… Continue Reading

Teaching Schoolchildren What It Means To Be An American

Written by Dr. Everett Piper

Last week, Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma superintendent for public instruction, made national news for announcing that, effective immediately, his state’s teacher candidates (especially from such places as California and New York) will now be required to take and pass an “America First” test before they will be considered for employment in Oklahoma’s public schools. As you can imagine, the teachers unions and establishment elites have lost their ever-loving minds over this.… Continue Reading