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How Our Schools’ Foolishness Is Courting ‘Civilizational Failure’
New York Post ^ | By Rich Lowry Published May 15, 2026, 6:47 a.m. PT | By Rich Lowry Published May 15, 2026, 6:47 a.m. PT

Posted on 05/15/2026 1:25:27 PM PDT by nickcarraway

We’ve been having a debate about “book bans” in recent years, but given the steep decline in student literacy, the deeper question is how any child would even notice whether a book is available in a school library. The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford recently published an eye-opening study documenting steep declines in student test scores, especially in reading.

Over the past 10 years, reading scores have declined in 83% of America’s school districts. What looked like a COVID-driven catastrophe is instead part of a long-running trend.

Reading scores were falling at a similar clip prior to the pandemic, from 2017 to 2019, and continued to fall into 2024. In a third of school districts, kids are reading a full grade level below where they were in 2015.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: books; civilization; education; literacy; reading

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Is this on purpose?

The best student is one who learns how to smoke pot, but not read or do math?

1 posted on 05/15/2026 1:25:27 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Easy Fix, make it Felony Child Abuse for any public employee to send their minor children to any school other than the Public School in the area in which they reside, Forcibly remove the children from the family home and into Foster Care so they can a Proper Education in the Public School System.


2 posted on 05/15/2026 1:31:13 PM PDT by eyeamok
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To: nickcarraway

What? Is this article implying the future does not belong to Islam and gender fluidity?!


3 posted on 05/15/2026 1:32:04 PM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
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To: nickcarraway

I just saw a YouTube clip about the Renaissance (and per-Reanissance period) which discussed literacy. Turns out that even in the 12th century, literacy was very high in Italy. It was largely a merchant economy — people needed to write letters, needed to read account ledgers, etc. People could read and write. BUT books were rare. Almost no one read books. Then Gutenberg came along (15th century), and books became more common. When people became “book literate” and shared ideas across trading networks, then the Renaissance happened.

Today, everyone texts. They are literate. The read and they write. But today there are very few young people who are “book literate”. So no Renaissance seems likely in the near future.


4 posted on 05/15/2026 1:44:28 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: ClearCase_guy

“Today, everyone texts. They are literate. The read and they write. But today there are very few young people who are “book literate”. So no Renaissance seems likely in the near future.”

Sorry, but “we finna git hi, u feel me, dawg?” doesn’t qualify as literate, or reading, or writing. Thug culture is killing our society in numerous ways, and literacy decline is definitely among them.


5 posted on 05/15/2026 1:54:36 PM PDT by SharpenedEdge (Stockpile. Prepare. Arm. Train. A Storm is coming.)
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To: SharpenedEdge

Once civilization collapses, maybe the survivors will be able to find “The Wordless Workshop” series.


6 posted on 05/15/2026 1:57:17 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: SharpenedEdge

I am certainly sympathetic to your viewpoint. I do not like Thug culture. But I also have to say that Beowulf —> Chaucer —> Shakespeare —> JRR Tolkien, shows that our language does go through big changes over time. I hope that the Thug culture does not become mainstream, but it is (dare I say) narrow-minded to define it as non-literate. It’s different, for sure. But they understand each other.


7 posted on 05/15/2026 2:03:27 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: nickcarraway
A grasp of the obvious that required 5+ decades.

Perhaps because "foolishness" casts it in the least offensive manner.

8 posted on 05/15/2026 2:03:29 PM PDT by frog in a pot (Are they already inside the wire? See open borders and not paying TSA payroll during war.)
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To: nickcarraway

https://www.youtube.com/live/luU57hMhkak?si=SXW-rZ-YBVr91KHZ

Meet Rosie the humanoid robot.


9 posted on 05/15/2026 2:43:36 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3 ( I'm Proud To Be An Okie From Muskogee)
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To: nickcarraway

Idiocracy was a prediction.


10 posted on 05/15/2026 2:47:21 PM PDT by MV=PY (The Magic Question: Who's paying for it?)
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To: MV=PY

That was an intensely leftist movie.


11 posted on 05/15/2026 3:01:01 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: Jan_Sobieski

Once the far left has total control, they will destroy Islam.


12 posted on 05/15/2026 3:01:54 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: SharpenedEdge

Thug culture? With testosterone-free children living in basements and barely moving?


13 posted on 05/15/2026 3:02:46 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
They're willing to submit to Islamic Socialism.


14 posted on 05/15/2026 3:41:06 PM PDT by ProgressingAmerica (The U.S. Constitution is not a suicide pact. Progressivism is a suicide pact.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

If we seek the prevention of thug culture going mainstream then increasing the convenience of learning and reducing the cost of learning is mandatory.

Right now all of the content of quality costs money and all of the junk-food-information is free. That locus needs to be inverted.


15 posted on 05/15/2026 3:46:25 PM PDT by ProgressingAmerica (The U.S. Constitution is not a suicide pact. Progressivism is a suicide pact.)
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To: nickcarraway

Never thought about. I’ll check it out again.


16 posted on 05/15/2026 4:15:19 PM PDT by MV=PY (The Magic Question: Who's paying for it?)
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To: nickcarraway

Left destroy Islam? Not possible IMO.


17 posted on 05/15/2026 4:54:59 PM PDT by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization? )
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To: PGalt
Left destroy Islam? Not possible IMO.

You aren't paying attention to history. Islam has been around for about 1400 years. They tried to defeat the West and Christianity, but they were repelled in 1571, and though there have been incidents, it never got close again.

Leftism has been around about 150 years, and it already destroyed the West and Christianity. Leftism is infinitely more destructive than Islam.

Right now, Islam is useful to the left as a weapon. But once they are no longer useful, they will be crushed. Look at Iran. They are lead by extreme Muslims, but they are already awash in prostitution, homosexuality, pornography, perversion, etc.

Right now Islam is a distraction to allow the left to get away with it. So many Freepers fall into the trap.

If you could make Islam disappear tomorrow, the West and Christianity would still be losing. But if you could make leftism disappear tomorrow, the Islam problem would be soon gone.

Don't fall for the trap.

18 posted on 05/15/2026 6:19:48 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Yes.

On purpose.


19 posted on 05/15/2026 6:41:39 PM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 "/!i!! &@$%&*(@ -')
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To: SharpenedEdge
“we finna git hi, u feel me, dawg?”

Darn! Where is Barbara Billingsly when I need a Jive translator! I wonder if she has an app?
20 posted on 05/15/2026 8:17:24 PM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
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