why is our country not as educated as it was before?

Question

for example, the Puritans were some of the first settlers here. they always strived to be better than the generation before them. one considered himself a failure because when he was 11, he hadn't read the same amount of books his father had!!! what has happened to this mindset? the Puritans also invested in the futures of their children, sometimes up to 10 generations! why is that no longer a prerogative?

Answer 1

Because as time rolls on, the gov't becomes more leftist/socialist. As such they feel it is their duty to stick their hands deeper and deeper into the education system. What happens as a result is inevitable. More time being spent on politically correct foolishness than basic math science english, etc. You know, the skills that will actually get someone somewhere in life. Instead, the focus drifts toward diversity, sensitivity, and other sch nonsense. Couple that with the fact that telling a kid nothing about the mistakes he/she makes in an effort to not bruise the kid's self esteem, and there becomes less and less room for improvement.
Furthermore, the MTA has blocked any attempt at merit based pay, and charter schools. Another ill which has its roots in socialism. This elimination of competition kills any motivation to be the best there is at what you do if you're a teacher. If you get paid as much to scratch yourself all day as you do to work your heart out, what's the sense? The push is to whip a student through, and collect your check at the end of the week.
We aren't as educated because school is influenced by the government, and is doomed to fail, like everything the gov't touches.

EDIT-It's cute that people are forgetting to mention Ted Kennedy's co-authorship and support of the No Child Left Behind Act. How convenient.

Answer 2

Well, I've thought about this many times, and this is "my" conclusion. Look at our world, everyone is in a hurry, everyday. There are more people than in years gone by, doctors can save thousands of lives, where years ago people just died of illnesses.
Everyone is in a hurry to get from point A to point B, and that includes education to some degree. Though the children are still taught about history, the importance of it isn't as it was years ago.
They are taught to learn about computers, got to make that "money!" Hurry, hurry, hurry! The importance of a "lot" of things in this world has changed. My great Uncle Fred Gipson, wrote a book called, "Old Yeller," but I honestly doubt many kids read that book or know that it was made into a movie by Walt
Disney. The children just aren't taught the same things anymore, or if they are, the minimum amount of it. Then parents wonder at our crime rate. I guess I could go on forever as to "why," but Yahoo doesn't have enough room or "time" for me.

Answer 3

Up until around the 1900 most people could not read or write. So I think we are a little more educated as we were before.

I do believe we are not as drivin to do the same as are parents or grandparents once were. Some of us want the easy way .

Answer 4

Bush's No Child Left behind Act.

This means dumb the curriculum down to the slowest learner, and have everyone learn at that level.

Did you know that Bush graduated with only a C average at Yale.

Answer 5

Bush's No Child Left Behind Act-

Like everything else he tries to fix, he breaks instead.

Many children are getting left behind. Only now, it's the children who otherwise would have excelled. Let's hear it for dumbing down our children.

Dumb people won't question their government.

Answer 6

Wat dis question means? No, You're correct. My grandmother was the first woman in our family to graduate from college. My aunt & I have college degrees, but the younger generations don't seem to think its important. My daughter will be 28 this month & is just starting to think about it. I gave her the tools. You can lead a horse to water....

Answer 7

It just makes sense to dumb down the masses, it makes it easier for the goverment to take total control.If people are to intellegent they seem to rebel and question authority.

Answer 8

I consider plenty of persons are already no longer liking what they see. The evaluations are in all places the location. Some consider Obama has been gambling the race card ever for the reason that NH, they usually resent that. Some consider that the Clintons had been gambling the race card. Some consider that Obama has been found out as secretly being a black "radical" who they can not believe. It is going on and on. But to me, essentially the most worrying facet of all of this lies within the fingers of the high-quality delegates. They have a truly drawback. If they turn out to be satisfied that Obama is now unelectable, that is fitting a groundswell opinion, what do they do? I consider that they are going to nominate him besides when you consider that they're extra frightened of being referred to as racists than they're of wasting the election. Plus the truth that lots of them are afraid in their possess re-election backlash. And why is he now being concept of as unelectable? Because he has turn out to be the "black" candidate - anything he attempted to prevent and anything pro pundits already knew might deal him a crippling blow. It's why Sharpton and Jesse best had constrained good fortune jogging for President, so Obama needed to prevent being concept of as that to turn out to be feasible. Too overdue. We can argue whose fault that's - folks that do not help him consider it is his possess fault for no longer paying larger awareness to the issues his institutions might rationale him. Those who help him blame the media and Clinton, take your choose. Anyway we seem at it this has turn out to be approximately race now. The best unknown element is how it'll shake out ultimately. And I consider you're proper, many people is not going to like what we see. I recognize that I'm going to be have compatibility to be tied if it is transparent that Obama has turn out to be unelectable they usually nominate him besides. I desire to win this election, no longer throw it down the tubes when you consider that we can not shelve Obama for worry of being referred to as racists.

Answer 9

Drugs and the dissolution of the strong American family.

Answer 10

Too many distraction and it seems anyone can succeed without dedication and hard work