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My wife is a high school teacher and she has been seeing this for a couple of years now--a severe drop in basic skills that drags all other academic indicators down.

I think what we are seeing is the first waves of the whole language/new new math kids hitting high schools and colleges. These kids lack the most basic skills in reading and comprehension, and that severely affects all other skill sets. This is a complete and total repudiation of the education fads of the 90s, and unfortunately there is going to be millions of kids who have been damaged by them.

Of course, you will never hear any of the education industrial complex take any of the blame--they will just whine about not having enough money.

This is why we need to get the government out of the education business. It needs to be contracted out to the private sector, just as many functions of government are. Where is it written in stone that education has to be provided by public employees?

I have my daughter(5th grade) in a private catholic school the only reasonable alternative to the local disaster of public ed.

Still they are so substandard as not to be believed. Her teachers all in their early 20's are the next generation product of a liberal education. 1+ year behind in math, History is so convoluted with multiculturalism she knows nothing about the Revolutionary war, Civil war, Christopher Columbus etc. The teacher's English skills are so limited she teaches my daughter to mispronounce words driving me to hysterical fits.

when I confront the Principal the reply is "If you are not happy take your daughter to another school" As there is a waiting list and no viable alternative I am stuck.

What Galls me to no end is that I pay for it in public taxes, Privately out of pocket, and now I am paying a third time by home schooling the gaps in her education.

The other half of the problem is the parents, they complain if the kids get to much homework, is too hard because it interferes with their leisure time.

Three generations to educate everybody Off the farm - Move over third world - only one generation to make peasants out of everyone