Free Republic

Many wonder why American public schools are so dysfunctional. This question is more easily answered than you might suppose. Throughout the 20th century, the Education Establishment devised scores of seemingly sophisticated pedagogies. Aggressively sold as ways to make schools effective and students smarter, these celebrated methods invariably turned out to render education less effective and students more ignorant. Let’s take a quick look at a half-dozen of the most famous concoctions. I predict you’ll have a startling realization: all of these things are counterproductive. Worse still, they seem to be that way by design. 1) PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SELF-ESTEEM: Consider...

Kyler Robertson's father was stabbed to death Sunday afternoon during an argument, a tragedy that the 16-year-old boy has struggled to understand. On Tuesday, still grieving, Kyler decided he would rather go to Byron Nelson High School and be around his friends than stay home. When he arrived at the Trophy Club school, his eyes were bloodshot and watery. He was accused of being under the influence of marijuana, according to a Northwest school district document provided to the Star-Telegram. Kyler was suspended for three days and was told that beginning Friday, he would be placed in the district's alternative...