[atomicpossum]

A pertinent question might be why are they getting out of college without the basic skills they should have developed around seventh grade?

[durasell]

Because the skills aren't valued. They aren't seen as having any immediate application in the kid's career.

[Prov3456]

The current state of public education is at fault. For a generation or more, we have not wanted to hurt the students' feelings by telling them that an answer was wrong, so we just told them, "Aawwwwwwwwwww, that's nice. Try again."

In short, it's "social promotion" and feel-good, faddish teaching methods.

My prediction is that this problem will get much worse before it gets better.

[ihatemyalarmclock]

why are they getting out of college without the basic skills they should have developed around seventh grade?

I hate to raise the spectre of Watergate after all these years, but "follow the money."

When a student is dismissed for poor academic performance, his tuition checks go with him.

This also goes a long way toward explaining "grade inflation."