[snowman]

The current standards, set by no child, are so low, that everyone can pass them, they are almost meaningless.

Most children can be completely tracked by 8th grade, usually 3rd grade is enough for a 90% cut. However there should never be any barrier for a kid to "prove" himself at any time. By barrier I don't mean test, but rule or law. If you pass the test you are in, if you don't, well you didn't pass the test. They do it in Europe, we used to do it, so its certainly possible.

Tests and standards should be set on a global basis by the feds. But we need to return to the decentralized schooling of yesterday IE de consolidate schools so that parents really are in control. Better yet private schools should replace all public ones, just vouchers good for one basic education. Scholarships would fill in any need for the bright student that doesn’t have their own resources to go to the best schools. Yes some schools would be better than others, just like the students, but that would at least open up genuine opportunity for all. The socialist system has failed, and failed miserably.

I went to private school for 8 years, and public for 4. I would say at least 8 or the 12 years was a total waste of my time as I learned nothing more than 4 real years of school would have taught me. My children, who went to mostly public school, wasted at least 5 years of their life in them, learning nothing. College was much more rewarding after the first 2 wasted years, relearning stuff that was suppose to be learned in 8th grade. The next 3 years and grad school in Electronics Engineering was at least interesting. I have also taken grad classes for at least 15 years on an informal basis that were useful. Bottom line, school is a terrible waste for anyone with an IQ above 90. Students that want hands on learning need to be accommodated. The world needs a few bright auto students as well as a lot of dumb ones. Every trade needs highly skilled workers, craftsmen, bright craftsmen. They are being cheated by our system. In fact future craftsmen and tradesmen get nothing out or our current system. It needs changing so that bright students can get something out of it and so that slow students also get something out of it. Right now neither gets much return for the time invested.