From Awareness to Action: How Parents and Grandparents Can Respond Together

When I finished watching The Miseducation of America, I did not feel shocked. I felt confirmed. What I saw in the series matched conversations I’m having with both parents and grandparents right now. Parents are concerned. Grandparents are deeply troubled. Schools today feel radically different from the education they experienced. It feels like something important has been lost.

My own journey with these questions began about ten years ago when I read The Vanishing American Adult by Ben Sasse. I saw education had slowly shifted away from forming adults with responsibility and purpose. Later, Battle for the American Mind helped explain why. It highlighted how ideas about truth, authority, and formation shaped our schools over time.

Now, I understand why grandparents feel such a sharp sense of loss when they look at modern education. So, when The Mis-Education of America was released, I felt relieved. In six short episodes, it gives families language to talk about what they were seeing. But awareness alone is not enough.

One thing I learnt is that education works best when generations communicate. Parents are in the daily details. Grandparents bring wisdom and perspective. Both voices matter. Schools support learning, but families shape children for life. Parents and grandparents don’t need to be experts. Stay engaged and united. Let simple questions guide these conversations during this time of confusion that comes with the AI revolution.

What kind of person do we hope our children and grandchildren become? What values shape them each day? Does their education support wisdom, courage, and faith? These questions help families move from worry to clarity.

I have witnessed the most meaningful moments from conversations between parents and grandparents. When families talk openly, fear often gives way to purpose. Across the country, families are watching The Miseducation of America together. Grandparents are sharing memories. Parents are sharing concerns. These conversations build trust and confidence across generations.

You don’t have to make a major change right away. Grandparents, start reading with your grandchildren. Parents start asking deeper questions about school lessons. Explore education options together. Small steps matter because formation happens every day.

For some families, this journey leads to Classical Christian Education. The focus is on wisdom, truth, and character. It prepares students to think clearly and live faithfully. At Christian Crossroads Academy, our deepest hope is to walk alongside families as they raise children who know God and follow His call. Our vision is parents and grandparents working together for the good of the next generation.

The Mis-Education of America reminds us that education still matters. Formation and families still matter. You do not need all the answers today. Most of us did not have them at first. You only need to take the next faithful step. And when generations walk together, that step becomes stronger.

Christian Crossroads Academy is a place where that next step can begin. If you are ready to learn more about how classical Christian education forms the kind of leaders our world needs, we invite you to connect with us.

Danita Bye

Danita Bye is a Leadership Futurist, Author, and Founding Board Member of Christian Crossroads Academy. She’s committed to restoring virtue-centered formation in education. Her work focuses on empowering leaders in an age of rapid technological change, where wisdom and discernment matter more than ever.

She partners with Christian leaders across education, business, and civic life who believe character ultimately determines impact. Danita serves on many boards in North Dakota and nationally that are focused on leadership and ethics. She is the author of Millennials Matter and the forthcoming Character Mandate, and a TEDx speaker passionate about forming leaders rooted in truth, courage, and faith.

Danita has a master’s in transformational leadership from Bethel University, MN. She currently lives near the TTT Ranch, in Stanley, North Dakota, where she grew up. She’s been married for 42 years and has six grandchildren.-