2017 California school test scores: Why are they flatlining?
When are we going to come out and admit that our schools are not providing our society with what it needs or wants?<p>For a large chunk of HN, schools served us relatively well.<p>But for a <i>huge</i> chunk of the US, school is just a waste of time. At best, it&#x27;s free childcare for parents. Preparing everyone to college is overkill (n.b. having a way for everyone who wants to go to college an affordable way to go to a good school is +++++EV... totally different issues).<p>Mandatory schooling should be for fundamentals in reading, communication (speaking and writing), and math -- if you want to get cheeky, teach them disciplinary approaches to history and science by using examples <i>that currently exist in their communities</i>. Most people don&#x27;t need literature. Most people don&#x27;t need algebra (or higher). Most people don&#x27;t need history (esp. as it&#x27;s currently taught). Most people don&#x27;t need science (again, esp. not as it is currently taught). Why are we teaching these things on people who don&#x27;t care about and will not use these potential skills? The resource sink is disgusting.<p>We could easily educate people to a functional level by 8th grade. Then let people join the real world if they want. Let them work rather than keep them in a glorified prison. If they at some point decide they want more schooling, give them easy access cheaply. This would be much cheaper than all the wasted high school resources we have now, and many of those resources could be funneled towards people who actually <i>want</i> to learn at the secondary and tertiary levels, even if it&#x27;s not on a classic timeline.<p>It&#x27;s time for a rethink of education -- our current system is ridiculously bad.