While there was no single cause, as someone who spent a fair number of years in higher education, it was and is clear to me that the primary, but not only, source of the problem was the collapse of standards (of all kinds) in the school system (exacerbated by high education).
And what caused that? The anterior primary cause: the retreat of parents.
144 posted on 10/22/2006 3:55:50 PM PDT by cornelis
The problem is multigenerational, with the schools acting as a negative feedback loop.
145 posted on 10/22/2006 4:48:48 PM PDT by achilles2000
(Shouting "fire" in a burning building is doing everyone a favor...whether they like it or not)