It is difficulty of curriculum that is tied to funding. The more students fail, the less funding the school obtains. Lots of students are graduating high school on low reading levels and basic mathematical skills and are ultimately ill-prepared to enter college or the military, much less compete with their peers on a global scale. Students in some Third World nations without access to even a quarter to what students in even the poorest US districts get run circles around their US counterparts.
The solutions? Here ya go!
- CHALLENGE the student, irregardless of their income level, race, religion, locality, etc......on a scale that is compatible with what children around the world are learning.
- If a student fails, they fail....have them repeat the grade. If a person is in their mid 20s when they graduate, so be it.
- Funding should be static, not performance-based.