Critics blast the 1950s ‘success sequence’ fantasy that GOP lawmakers are trying to make schools teach as a method to avoid poverty 

GOP-led states are actively pushing the “success sequence,” aiming to equip students with a formula to avoid poverty in their adult lives. Per The Washington Post, this approach is gaining traction among conservatives and could soon be a standard lesson for middle and high schoolers across the country.

The “success sequence” is a three-step guide: first, graduate from high school; second, find a full-time job; and third, get married before having children. Proponents of this framework, like teacher Ryan Badolato at Vertex Partnership Academies of New York, believes that it’s his “moral responsibility” to teach his students this universal path to prosperity

Lawmakers in at least seven Republican-led states have introduced bills to make this curriculum mandatory, with Utah, Alabama, and Tennessee having already passed such legislation. Ian Rowe, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and a co-founder of Vertex Partnership Academies, testified in Ohio, advocating for the state to require the sequence, to empower students to shape their own lives.

A terrifyingly old-fashioned thought process

Not everyone is on board with this idea. Education policy analysts and advocates are actively trying to keep the framework out of classrooms. They argue that it promotes a very narrow view of a fulfilling life, especially concerning marriage and children. Critics also worry that the lessons could feel insulting or out of touch for students from nontraditional or fragmented families. 

Moreover, many believe the “success sequence” is far too simplistic and completely overlooks the complex systemic challenges that many students face, which are already exacerbated by funding cuts. The concept emerged in the 2000s when researchers were looking to reduce teen pregnancy. It also followed an era where politicians often blamed poor individuals for their poverty, accusing them of over-reliance on welfare. 

Recently, Republicans have embraced the sequence as part of a broader pronatalist movement, aiming to address what they see as a declining birth rate in the United States. It also fits the administration’s goal of communicating a specific narrative. 

Proponents of the sequence often back their claims with specific research. For instance, a 2017 report by the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Family Studies found that 97 percent of adults aged 28 to 34 who followed these steps were not poor. This finding, they note, held true across different racial groups. However, some analysts question whether this is truly a recipe for success or if it primarily benefits those who already have a head start. 

The report also indicated that young adults from wealthy families experienced the most financial success, with over 90 percent in middle or high-income brackets if they married before having kids, compared to 71 percent who grew up poor. A 2021 report funded by the Department of Health and Human Services also found that while the sequence was linked to financial stability, “the specific sequence of milestones has a more modest association with economic outcomes.”

Expert criticism is simple: it’s crucial to “look toward the future” rather than getting stuck in the past.