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<p>One could also say that the dumbing down is a result of the inability of the students to pass the tests without much ado. If the curriculum was dumber than the performance of the student might indicate, most everyone would pass the test, and they would be considered trivial. That is hardly what is happening in the schools. The students, who ultimately will be shepherded and directed towards those “school within a school” that are popular in the schools target the upwardly mobile, do not suffer too much. </p>
<p>The same cannot be said for the larger group of students that are expected to either drop out early, or simply graduate from high school without a bona fide education. </p>
<p>I am also happy to recognize that the teachers who are saddled to correct the problems that have developed over the past decades are not directly responsible. Their leaders are to blamed for their misguided views that brought us where we are, and that is in a system that rewards mediocrity over excellence. </p>
<p>Teachers are as much victims as the students; the difference is that the teachers had a voice that remained silent.</p>