There has to be a better way...

Please share some screenshots, so we can understand your problem and help you better.

I don't have Classroom in a Book 2020. I don't know how many forum users do. Without embedded screenshots showing the modified properties of the problem layers (uu) and a description of the workflow and specific problem, I have no idea what the problem with your workflow could be. 

Please take some screenshots, copy and paste the file to the reply field, drag it in there, or use the Toolbar so we can see them. Upload a project file if you need to. We can probably figure out where the problem lies with a little more information.

If the fonts move off when you scale them, then the Anchor Point is not in the right place, or the Baseline Shift is way off. If colors don't follow the way they should, then there is a fill or color correction applied somewhere that isn't being rendered in the proper order. If there is a nested comp (when you pre-compose a layer, you nest a composition) that is having color problems, the culprit could be Collapse Transformations, bending modes, or effects that didn't get moved into the nested comp. Even the rendering engine could cause problems if you have 3D layers because the C4D rendering engine kills blend modes, track mattes, effects, and several other things that work fine with the Classic 3D rendering engine. 

Give us some details, and we can probably help you out.

The Learn workspace and the User Guide (available on the AE product page) point to a lot of pretty decent tutorials. The Search Help field in the top right corner of AE is also a good way to find solutions to specific problems. Just searching the internet for After Effects will turn up more tutorials prepared by enthusiasts with inefficient workflows and inadequate explanations than really good ones. Linkedin Learning has some great courses. Boris FX, Video Copilot, Maxon, and even AE scripts have very good tutorials on using their products. A few other sites offer paid tutorials that are pretty good. 

If you want some quick tips, I have been posting a few on YouTube for a long time. Most of the ones on my channel come from answering questions on this forum. You'll find them here: Better workflows in After Effects