Critics reported an overemphasis on textbooks and teachers' lectures to passive students. It could well be that we're the only district doing it right. Internationally, U.S. fourth-grade students rank eighth among 26 nations in math. By eighth grade they re 21st. Our math curriculum isn't up to that of Germany or Japan.
Some teachers lack the training to teach tougher courses.
Researchers say the lack of academic rigor causes adolescents' increased alienation. Not to mention inadequate preparation for high school and college. Too little recognition of adolescents' special needs creates problems. But too much emphasis on those needs can produce a dumbed-down curriculum. Not surprisingly, the Carnegie Corporation's 1989 report, Turning Points , recommends both academic rigor and a culture of caring.