Half of the teenagers had no clue who the great dramatist was. The physician blames teachers, parents, the school system, and lower standards in education. He says American schools are far superior to those in England. I, too, have long questioned the notion that American education is secondary to that in other countries, including Germany and Japan. I have nothing to base that conclusion on except to compare our schools with those of years past.
More people are in school than ever before.
Surely our educational system is better than that in the Forties in the South. Surely we do a better job of educating than we did a century or two ago. Never before have so many had such opportunities to learn. Where we falter is in setting standards too low. Even here, states like North Carolina are aggressively raising the bar, demanding more of students and teachers.