US Education has Deteriorated

All I can say about public education in the US is that their buildings are nice.

Buildings

How long should a building last ?  In the U.S. we should expect a well-built home to last for 100 years. Obviously, we will need to replace whatever wears out, so we need to save about half the cost of the house to maintain and upgrade a home.  

School Buildings

In the 1950s, most school buildings were about 40 years old and were expected to last at least another 40 years.  Like a home, you could expect to spend thousands of dollars over the years maintaining and replacing worn out components.  The curriculum was not as good as it had been in the 1920s, but it was adequate. Many Americans completed 8^th grade and were able to function well in various trade schools and in the workplace.  College entrance average exam scores peeked in 1961 and declined thereafter.

Since the 1960s, school buildings got larger, fancier and more expensive. At the same time, the curriculum deteriorated.  The dumbing down of schools had begun.  Colleges and Universities put billions into campus development but the curriculum was dumbed down along with the students. 

The “neighborhood school” was the model until the “middle school” was arbitrarily imposed.  This was a mistake and K through 12 schools should be restored.

Demographic Shifts

Neighborhoods will go through demographic cycles if homeowners remain longer than 20 years.  School populations will ebb and flow with generations coming and going.  Schools should adjust to these rather than requiring a minimum number of students to keep a school open.  Churches don’t move because of demographics and neither should schools.

$billions have been spent on school construction, but the dumbing down of the curriculum is unsustainable.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader