Submitted by Maury Leon, Feb 9, 2007 17:55

The reality about our education system is that it is in disrepair. Yes, there is a precipitous decline in test scores over the past decades. It will not be reversed unless and until our society returns to meritocracy.

Public schools – and some private schools – have reduced their intellectual and academic expectations to the least common denominator so that society would be ‘all inclusive.' While wonderful in the abstract, this concept denies a reality. That is, that all children are not equal. Some are born richer; some poorer. Some grow up in an intellectually expansive home; some grow up in an educationally deprived home. Some are gifted in sports; some are gifted in music; some are not gifted in anything.

The 1960s and ‘70s brought about monumental changes in our society and education. Methodology was modified to make it easier for children to ‘learn.' The rigors and discipline of memorizing math facts and procedures gave way to calculators. Basic reading moved from structured phonics to much more child-friendly ‘whole language.' Less able – or less disciplined – students would achieve reading and math success easier.

The cadre of teachers changed too. Less able students went to college and became teachers and school administrators. They brought with them a less able teaching corp. The students most in need of intensive, innovative education received the poorer quality of teaching. These are generalizations that surely have exceptions: many exceptions but this is a truth that is at the heart of the problem with public education as it is practiced today.

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