A third to a half of the adult population is functionally illiterate. Instructional material that was written for a sixth grade reading level now has be dumbed down even more.
And getting a “good” education doesn't seem to help. I saw a picture here on FR of a college senior carrying a sign saying she couldn't find a job in her “feild”. Feild? Feild?$40,000 paid out for instruction and she can't spell?
Hundreds of tons of pot being smoked each year is not without effect on society.
There was a contestant on Jeopardy the other evening who stated she is employed as a ninth grade reading teacher. Reading classes were completed in the second grade where I went to school but then we thought "pot" was a cooking utensil.