PEZ, you really are a math geek. Probabilities. lol. That's awesome though, I'm happy that we have people like you who are willing and able to do such work.
Mantis, I think you need to take a Biology course and a Geology course at your local university. MAYBE, just maybe, you will not be so closed minded that you won't learn anything. I can't answer your question any better then GeriDoc can, and even then I know you won't come to some terms with it. So, instead of arguing with a brick wall, I will politely bow out.
GeriDoc, I think you're on the right track as well, but I think there are many, many factors that have come into play in the decline of the American Education system. The one that you mentioned about lowering standards to meet goals is an absolutely horrible line of thinking. I'm really no smarter then the next guy, but I was pushed hard in my education and I succeeded. As I said before, parents now days don't want their children to struggle. I feel like if you let children and young adults struggle, they learn from their mistakes... the key word is LEARN. If you never make mistakes, then you never learn anything. For example, an exam. So, you made a bad grade on an exam - Why? What did you do wrong and what can you improve on? Why was the answer wrong and why was the other answer right? Too often, those types of reviews are never done in classrooms. We have a system that is built to compound upon itself, and if a student doesn't learn a concept this week, then the concept is constantly being used in the weeks following it. Doc, I also agree with you that it's the culture we live in.
Someone asked why are our highschools failing us but our colleges are still number one? Well, you have that top 10% of students that actually want to be in school to learn and understand the value of an education, and they usually have good support systems and are taught great time management skills growing up. The best students get to go to college, even though less exceptional students have the CHANCE to go to school through government funding. These types of students usually will not graduate. I think it's something like 70% of freshmen drop out? Colleges are top notch because they have a much larger selection of students that they know who are going to succeed, while highschools have to deal with the general public with compulsory education.
In some areas, the drop out rate is directly correlated to the poverty rate in the area. If mom is working two jobs to pay rent and food and dad is out of the picture and the student comes to school hungry and in the same cloths every day, and has to go home to take care of the younger brothers and sisters because the mom is always working, sometimes the only choice is to drop out to work to let your family have a better quality of living. If you want more students to do better in school, improve the neighborhoods. Cut down on drugs, prostitution and violence on the streets. Community supported programs in the area to help people find work, provide free daycare services with qualified individuals. It starts with improving society.
Question: Is the media and advertising a reflection of societies values or is it what the media and advertising believe our values and morals should be so that they can sell products and services?