Our students' knowledge is limited by unchanged curriculum, lack of emphasis on higher-level skills, and minimal use of technology except for rote learning activities. There is an absence in our schools of new skill areas such as database retrieval, statistics, and discrete mathematics. The access, organization, and presentation of information are rarely studied. Moreover, the complexity of the school problem is not limited to the curriculum. The amount of time our schools provide instruction is the briefest of any industrial society.
Most countries have students spending far more time in school.
Preparation for work in the form of vocational education is treated as a remedial track in most American schools. Ties to companies in terms of apprenticeship or partnership programs are minimal. At home, parents have less time for their youngster and less knowledge of what is taking place in school. Even when they want to, parents are less prepared than ever to deliver meaningful support for school instruction or provide help in introducing areas of knowledge that schools omit. Such experiences allow students to apply their knowledge of technology to relevant tasks while earning money for a college education.