Writing for City Journal, retired teacher Larry Sand chronicles the truly dismal state of public K-12 education in California, which I know from personal experience was once exemplary. He fairly places most of the blame on teachers unions. Hat tip to RealClearPolicy for the link.
One particularly revealing set of LAUSD statistics he cites is from the Los Angeles Times, a paper whose politics are progressive and hence pro-public school.
>In math, 73% of 11th-graders earned A’s, Bs, and Cs. Tests scores showed only 19% met grade-level standards.
>For eighth-graders, 79% earned A’s, Bs and Cs in math. Test scores showed 23% met grade-level standards.
>In English, 85% of sixth-graders earned A’s, Bs and Cs, while 40% met grade-level standards.
>For seventh-graders, 82% earned A’s, Bs and Cs in English. Test scores showed 43% met standards.
Further proof, if any is needed, that progressives can ruin almost anything they take over. I’m reminded of Instapundit Glenn Reynolds’ slightly hyperbolic assessment that sending your children to today’s public schools constitutes child abuse and parental malpractice.
