Mass universal education is therefore one of the most powerful engines for social equality a modern society possesses. If, however, this engine does not work well, the initial gap will persist and become evident in inequalities throughout the entire society. By almost every measure American K - 12 public education is a failure. This is revealed not only by comparisons with other countries, but also by growing dissatisfaction among parents and increasing complaints by employers about the inadequate preparation of their work force. Although everybody is hurt by this massive failure, minorities suffer even more because of their initial disadvantage.
T HERE are a number of reasons why our schools are so bad.
These methods, say the educationists, numb critical thinking and turn students away from learning. It also ignores the practical realities of providing mass education for a heterogeneous population. Another fallacy is that knowledge is less important than knowledge-seeking skills, since the explosion of knowledge today makes it impossible to learn everything about a subject. The formalistic-tool concept of learning is consistent with the bureaucratic mindset which elevates form and process over substance. It is, however, at variance with what we know about learning.