A quick way to understand why K-12 schools are such a mess.

Consider where we were in 1853. "Per Siljestromm, a Swedish visitor, wrote, 'In no country in the world is the taste for reading so diffuse as among the common people in America.'"

And we have gone from there to 50 million functional illiterates.

"K-12:  Red Ed"

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/06/k12_red_ed.html

Only a really trusting person could imagine that an entire trillion-dollar industry could accidentally decline decade after decade. Seriously, it just couldn't happen by accident. Lots of people have to work tirelessly, year after year. to make it happen.

There are many good comments left on the article. One recommends Eyeless in Gaza, Chapter 3 in John Taylor Gatto's book "The Underground History of American Education." (Where I saw the quote from 1853.)

I was reminded once again that John Taylor Gatto is twice as smart as any professor in the Education Establishment.. He is also twice the writer. His book is available free on the Internet.

I have to mention that John Taylor Gatto, Rudolf Flesch, Siegfrried Engelmann, and Samuel Blumenfeld are the only real educators this country had. Everyone in education should have read one book by any one of these guys.

Only got 10 minutes?  Read "K-12: Red Ed.''