Those in the know

    "Declining achievement in education" Is a social problem. Without even getting to the subject itself, there are many questions that need to be asked. Who is making these claims? Whose metrics and data do they go by? Lets dive into the second question first.

    Everything you every wanted to know about Education in America including the things you didn't know to ask about Fall under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education.

    The Mission statement of the U.S. Department of Education is "Our mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access." The original Department of Education was created in 1867 to collect information on schools and teaching that would help the States establish effective school systems. The current Department of Education was created in 1980 by combining offices from several federal agencies. ED's 4,400 employees and $68 billion budget are dedicated to:

• Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education, and distributing as well as monitoring those funds.
• Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research.
• Focusing national attention on key educational issues.
• Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.

This organization has been providing data regarding this issue for more than 150 years. They are the best source for anyone making claims regarding declining achievement.

Why can't Billy read?

     In the days before memes, there were catchphrases that were easy to remember and kept ideas and questions in the public discourse. I can remember the above question for almost as long as I have been alive. It was a call to arms about how public school systems were failing our children. 

 For more than 40 years the public education system had been under fire for a state of declining achievement.  The arguments and solutions have been compelling, numerous and to relative degrees.. effective. 

Study Finds Declining Student Achievement, Increased Harm to School Choice Since Common Core

    I mean our society has not fallen into a state of illiteracy. Our businesses still run, new innovations are made, things get written. Our society is chugging along just fine. 

    Is the issue of "declining achievement is schools" a social problem? before you can answer that question there are so many that come before it.  When was the high point of student achievement? who sets these benchmarks? Have they been consistent? If some one is going to make a claim about this being a social problem. That is the best place to start.

 There a quite a few organizations that work to define academic school success. many of them are funded by the government. 

National Center for Educational Statistics

U.S. Department of Education - Data & Statistic

I personally think that student achievement and an effective education is a social issue that needs to be addressed. I believe that a good education would help resolve so many other social issues. It could be that it's not getting the press it deserves, or our society has never thought of it as priority.

Let's find out why.