It’s not a matter of ‘focusing on their pet topics’. It is a replacement of measureable learning with objective testing with unmeasureable learning with subjective evaluations. The teachers unions love this replacement since it is no longer possible to measure teaching with objective testing. The teachers unions hate any kind of measureable assessments of the value of their work.
Yep. Replace facts and figures with BS. A lot easier, and good for your self-esteem. But look at the drop in AP scores. I guess it takes a certain kind of "special" community to buy into this rubbish.
My daughter went to one of the best Catholic HSs on Long Island. It did not offer a single AP course. She took a classical curriculum of four years of English, Math, History, Bio, Earth Sci, Chem, and Physics, and three years of French. She took Computer, Art, Music, theory and history, and PE. She went to college as well prepped as anyone who took AP course could have been. Scarsdale is going in the right direction.