In college a girl I was dating at the time had to write a report on global warming for an algebra class. Yes this was in the last 5 years.
In a shocking bit of logic, when you stop worrying about educational standards they tend to suffer.
Whodathunkit?
WTF?!?!
Silly me, I thought the primary objective of math teachers was to teach math!
I graduated high school in 1986. I went into the Army in 1988 for 13 years and, in that time, didn't have a dedicated math class.
2 years ago, I started going after my degree. I'm the guy in class not having trouble with calculus. The recent grads of government school are having to take remedial courses to catch up.
So, where do you think the objective of math class should be?
Woah! there's a systemic infection. Get out the IV and the strongest antibiotic on the shelf! When the math curriculum get invaded the ship is going down!
Now we have the 4 R's of public education. Readin', riting', 'rithmatic, race relations.
Maybe it's a trip to the dunking-stool.
Here's an idea: In the old days, Massachusetts inhabitants were required to leave their windows unoccluded so that anyone--especially the authorities--could look inside and see what they were up to. In a 21st-century update of this, they could put bugs--or better still TV cameras!!!--in all the homes to make sure that no one demonstrated unacceptable "behaviors"!
The bigger problem is "What in the hell are they teaching in college Education Administration courses?" Every day there's at least one post here about some whack-job administrator with absolutely no ability to "administer" education but plenty to say about a social agenda and "zero tolerance" programs.