record low, 35% satisfied.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/695174/record-low-satisfied-education-quality.aspx

"Last week's release of the latest results from the Nation's Report Card by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) …show steep declines in K-12 students' reading and math scores since 2019, with many failing to reach even basic proficiency.

…one in three Gen Z students say they dislike reading and many are assigned reading activities just once a week or less, despite strong evidence that enjoyment and frequency of reading drive academic success. Together, these results point to a deepening crisis of confidence in whether U.S. schools are equipping young people with the foundational skills and preparation needed for life beyond high school."

My brief thoughts…
Research has consistently shown that reading increases white matter density, brain integrity, and is directly associated with increased intelligence/cognition. I strongly suspect that time on TikTok and other social media is unlikely to replicate this.

1) The number 1 problem is not with schools, but parents. In the 70's, about 2/3's of very young children were read aloud to, now it is less than 1/3.
2) The average US 8-12 yr old has almost 5 hours of screen time per day.
3) The percentage of kids reading for fun has dropped from 60-70% in the 70's to about 15% for today's 15-17 year-olds.

Good private schools or home schooling will almost always be better than public schools.

But, no matter how bad schools are, most parents are not modeling "intelligent" behavior reading, turning off their own screens, ensuring their kids are studying (without AI)… and are profoundly worse than the schools.

A disaster for our children and the future of this county...

I've seen some really eye opening and depressing things since working in public education the last two years. The behavior of even elementary students is shocking. Most people have no idea.
There's a behavioral unit in our school and the kids are considered SPED. They regularly assault students, teacher, aides, and cause considerable property damage and nothing happens to them. By nothing, I mean exactly nothing. The parents don't have to pay for the damage, the assaults are not punished, no suspensions, nothing. And the poor kids are just helpless in a cog of democrat do-gooding that has ruined them. They scream and aren't disciplined. They fight and aren't disciplined. They destroy property and aren't disciplined. They don't know how to make friends or even know how to socialize properly with others.
We're doing these kids such a disservice all in the name of displaced feminist do-gooding compassion.

ts5641 said:

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I've seen some really eye opening and depressing things since working in public education the last two years. The behavior of even elementary students is shocking. Most people have no idea.
There's a behavioral unit in our school and the kids are considered SPED. They regularly assault students, teacher, aides, and cause considerable property damage and nothing happens to them. By nothing, I mean exactly nothing. The parents don't have to pay for the damage, the assaults are not punished, no suspensions, nothing. And the poor kids are just helpless in a cog of democrat do-gooding that has ruined them. They scream and aren't disciplined. They fight and aren't disciplined. They destroy property and aren't disciplined. They don't know how to make friends or even know how to socialize properly with others.
We're doing these kids such a disservice all in the name of displaced feminist do-gooding compassion.

---

And "regular" classes are drug down by "mainstreamed" SPED that require all of the teachers' attention.

Despite this, I am convinced the larger problem is at most homes, where even "good" parents spend hours on their phones, instead of paying attention to their kids and modeling behavior conducive to learning.

My wife has been a teacher for 30 years. Currently a SPED teacher in elementary school. As noted by others, the lack of discipline given to shockingly destructive kids is stunning. Just a few kids literally ruining the school. These kids will look great in orange one day…

WSJ came out with "essentially" my post as one of its editorials for Monday.
...
A 2022 systemic review of 87 studies found increased screen time was modestly associated with higher levels of aggression, inattention, anxiety, depression and behavioral problems.
A 2022 study from China found "smaller brain volume in excessive smartphone users," which was associated with impulsive behavior.
...
Kids are also reading less. A 2023 study from the University of Cambridge found that American adolescents who spent more time reading for pleasure when they were younger had fewer mental-health problems and scored higher on cognitive assessments. Medical imaging also showed they had larger areas of the brain that are involved in information processing and mental health.
...
Is it any surprise that performance on standardized tests has fallen over the past decade as kids spend more time online? Or that many Generation Z members behave like zombies?

... When kids see adults scrolling their phones at all hours of the day, they begin to think this is normal and acceptable behavior. It isn't.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-social-media-creates-flabby-young-brains-c99f92e2

People think screen time makes students smarter.

Screen time makes students stupider.

They are a drug; they are taken away, kids revert to being kids.

I can't tell you how many people I see at restaurants with their kids just staring at a screen. No interaction with their brothers and sisters, parents, etc.

It's mind numbing.

I see that too…iPad-sized devices. If they're doing that at a family outing, you can just imagine how much time they're spending with the electronic babysitter at home.

No 1 Problem is schools not teaching basics and requiring proficiency before moving on to the next grade.