Great POST! Greater Question! I remember back in the late 70s-early 80s when my Mom, a 4th grade school teacher, was all upset about the elimination of her geography curriculum for the new “social studies” - beginning of the end. The Lefties took over the Education schools at the universities, and their evil spread downstream to our precious children.
On a personal note, I took an elective geography course my senior of high school in 1965(rather than Trig) - my teacher was Masters-prepared (not an assistant football coach, either). I was completely enthralled and ended up getting a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Geography just about the time most all the high schools were eliminating it from their curriculum - lucky me - no teaching jobs! Nevertheless, I use what I learned on a daily basis in my job as a hospital planner.
IOW the Schools of Education became much worse a few
school generations after the government Student Loans
program was legislated. That’s a key to reversing the
decay; when (I said when, not if) that funding goes.