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In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education published a report titled, "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform." It found academic performance poor at nearly all levels. It warned that America's educational system was "being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity."
Today, it's a national disaster by design. So-called education reform's a fraud. It masks privatization schemes, a society of growing haves and have nots, and no desire to educate masses for low pay, low skill jobs if they can find one.
Critics warn of dire consequences to no avail. Several books discussed it. They include Jared Diamond 's "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed," Cullen Murphy 's "Are We Rome: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America," and Adrian Goldsworthy 's "How Rome Fell."
They explain the decline and fall of powerful states, and apply what's highlighted to failing education in America. Combined with out-of-control greed, imperialism, corruption, duplicity, and lawlessness, it's a prescription for failure.
In his book titled, "Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth about the American Voter," Rick Shenkman discussed profound public ignorance. He asked, "How much ignorance can a country stand," and said one day we'll find out, perhaps to our dismay.
Numerous examples provide evidence.
University of Michigan studies categorize Americans as follows:
- few know much about politics and world affairs;
- around half know enough to answer elementary questions; and
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