US Education Reform 9-12-24

The current Public School Curriculum leaves 66% of 4^th graders not reading at grade level. The Curriculum does not structure reading effectively. 

https://www.ascendlearningcenter.com/blog-highlights/howmanystudents

 33% of current US Public School students cannot do Math at grade level. Again, the Curriculum needs to be restructured.

75% of 8^th graders and 75% of 12^th graders cannot write at grade level.

In 1928, the US Public School Curriculum prepared students to function in the US economy in grades 1 through 8. The curriculum used phonics to teach reading and writing in cursive was included. Courses were basic math, reading, spelling and writing. It also included civics and history. Students who failed to pass were required to repeat the grade. Graduates went on to trade schools or went to work to learn how to apply their skills at their jobs.

Higher forms of math were taught in high school and trade school

The first American high school to be established for working-class boys was the English Classical School in Boston, Massachusetts in 1821. It was renamed the English High School in 1824. The school offered subjects such as English, history, mathematics, science, geography, philosophy, bookkeeping, and surveying. 

In the 1800s, US students were taught to read the Bible by their parents and worked on family farms and other family businesses. Many continued their self-education to learn enough to function.  Book borrowing led to Public Libraries by 1900. Those who wanted to be Physicians like my Grandfather would work and hire tutors to prepare for the Medical School Exam. Abraham Lincoln borrowed books and studied to pass the Bar Exam to become a Lawyer

The American high school movement is a term used to describe the period from 1910 to 1940 when there was a rapid increase in the number of secondary schools and the number of students attending them. This movement was driven by local communities, rather than the federal or state government. There was also a movement to end child labor.

In 1935, the Wage & Hour Law was passed and included ending Child Labor. Labor Unions gave it full support. Today Children who are age 14 are allowed to work with parental permission. Children who are age 16 are allowed to work.  

In 1965, 10% of the US population had Bachelors’ Degrees. These degrees were all either occupational or preparational for degrees at the Masters and Doctorate level.

Those who entered Medical School had BS degrees in Chemistry and Biology and Pre-Med Courses. Those who entered Law School had BS degrees in Business.  Those who entered other Masters and Doctoral programs had BS degrees in their Major fields of study.

The United States Department of Education (ED) was established by Congress in 1980, and began operating in May of that year. The ED was created by combining offices from several federal agencies into a Cabinet-level agency. 

The ED's mission is to promote student achievement and equal access to education. The ED's responsibilities include: Establishing and monitoring federal financial aid policies.  Collecting data on schools and disseminating research, Focusing attention on educational issues, and Prohibiting discrimination.

US Education began to decline with the introduction of non-occupational Majors. US Student PISA scores vs PISA scores for other countries and ACT and SAT average scores began to decline. New Math and Common Core seriously dropped US Math Scores.

In 1996, the Internet was available due to advanced computer chips.  In 1998 Google Search was introduced. In 2004, Facebook was introduced. Cell Phones were introduced in 2000. Enhanced Cell Phones were introduced in 2007 with the Apple I-Phone.

The Internet became available to PC users in 1996.

Social Activist Indoctrination began in public schools in 2000.

Social Media began with Facebook in 2004 and Twitter in 2006.

Cell phone use in the United States has increased significantly over the past two decades, with the number of smartphone users in particular growing rapidly: 

In 2002, 62% of the population owned a cell phone or smartphone, and by 2019, that number had increased to 96%. As of 2024, over 310 million people in the U.S. own a smartphone, with a penetration rate of over 96%. They can take pictures and use the internet from their phones.

Comments

We kept our land line. I officed from home and ran my Consulting Practice. I had a phone message machine. I was available to customers 24/7. I took advantage of the internet in 1996 and could use email. We used Facebook for a while, but not Twitter. We still use Photo Albums.

We watched our children and grand children become slaves to their cell phones. We can see that our grandchildren are addicted to their cell phones and can see how they could be distracted in school unless their cell phones are off. We understand that these cell phones are handy for children and parents to be able to communicate 24/7.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader