I got this surfing some interesting links and ended up on a conservative board reading this. I have quoted this because I don't want to bring up politics or have this descend into an ugly political discussion.
My oldest daughter attended private school K-8. Next, she attended what was supposed to be the "best" public high school in the area. I thought grades 9-10 were marginal at best. Then a new principal was assigned with a Ph.D. in education. And things got worse!
In grades 11-12, I had at least ten parent-teacher conferences about substandard academic performance – of the teachers. Except for one dedicated AP English teacher, they didn't know their subjects, and they didn't care.
My complaints were elevated to the new principal. I met with him at least seven times; several times I was accompanied by a member of the school board.
Finally the principal, aggravated and arrogant, told me schools no longer believe in academic excellence because demanding subjects no longer appeal to the mainstream student or to his parents.
He proclaimed that his program, his syllabus, his teachers were all fully in compliance with local, state, and federal standards, and he wasn't going to change a single thing to accommodate me or my daughter.
He said proudly he is a "Progressive," he has a Ph.D., and he had "helped" develop and design many of those standards, and he believed in them. He said any kid who wants a higher-level education for a professional career will have to get it somewhere else.
He was emphatic that neither I nor the school board member could change anything.
I gave up on public schools. My youngest daughter was homeschooled. She is 17 and starts her sophomore year in college next month. Pre-med. She is certainly smart, but not an Einstein. We focused on core academic subjects, and we have not wasted her time with social justice indoctrination. This approach will work in every school that tries it.
