I marvel when I read the journals of the men from the Endurance. They were sailors, not educated, but the writing…wow. However, before I can wax nostalgic for the good old days when a hs diploma meant something, I must remind myself that in my parents’ era and before, there was no requirement that the needs of special ed students be met. Can’t speak English? Come back when you can (happened to my great aunt). We wouldn’t be seeing threads about students with LDs or MIs because its likely even finishing high school wouldn’t have been an option. Graduation rates were much, much lower for everyone and especially for women and minorities. There was corporal punishment in the schools, teachers needed just a two year associate’s degree, and failing out/being expelled was a lot more common. Trust me, none of you would be going on about how well my dad could write and think with his high school diploma, earned in the 40s. Were all hs grads really that much better educated? Those teachers with 2 year degrees weren’t offering calculus, and gifted ed wasn’t a thing; you just got pushed up a grade. So, I have to ask myself, was it really all that much better?