[Leaning Right]

But in our oh-so-sophisticated world these practical skills have become something of a lost art.

Believe it or not, Common Core has a lot to do with the cutting of shop classes. A principal's career depends on getting those test scores up.

And since Common Core does not test for shop skills, shop goes away. And the shop kids are thrown into advanced math classes, which Common Core does test for. But those shop kids don't want, or need, advanced math classes. They need a

[Leaning Right]

They need a practical education.

(Sorry, the last sentence in #33 got cut off. Probably by some Dept. of Education hacker.)

[bgill]

Schools were teaching to the test 20 years ago, long before CC. Still, you’re right, the elimination of skills classes was due to relying more and more on state testing.