Saw this today. Tragic and frightening. If 80% is the number for those going into community college, the rate must be much higher. What is the dropout rate I wonder? We spend $18,000-$20,000 per child for this. What could you do with $20,000 a year for your child? It is also disgusting. There are more adjectives I’d like to pull out but you should read it and list your own.
The comments on the article are not helping my view on how educated Americans are either 
Instead of actually having rational discussions on what the causes are and what we can do about it is all just blamed on simplistic causes.
Homeschooling is a great way to educate children and can be very efficient but unfortunately it isn’t for everyone. This trend has been going on for a long time now and we need to come up with some solutions to reverse the trend.
Results are worrying in my country too. In Romania, year by year, the kids graduating high school and taking the maturity exam / baccalaureate are less and less prepared and much more illiterate. The average graduating rate with a Baccalaureate diploma is well under 75%, many of those who didn’t pass lacking basic written and oral skills.
The parents trust the teachers to take care of their kids education,
The teachers trust the students,
The students trust… Google
THe above is a joke, but the reality is this: what can I ask from a fulltime teacher, when teachers themselves, many of them, don’t even pass their own exams for entering in their jobs? If the teacher isn’t well prepared, what to ask from the student?
If the parent, at home, doesn’t do a thing to supervise and help the student, what to expect from that student to become?
It’s an entire chain and mix of culture, lack of interest from all the parts involved (students, parents, teachers) and lack of vision in education system policies.
Today I told my kid’s preschool teacher that I’m not going to let him go to a school. I will do whatever is legal and in my power to educate him at home, according to his needs and at his own pace. I have fought for this kid to stay alive and be healthy and smart, much smarter than many kids these days. I won’t let a rotten educated system hurt his feelings or hinder his development or even make him an illiterate and spoiled brat.
While I agree that homeschooling isn’t for everyone and that many parents in Romani may lack responsibility, time, money or even education necessary to teach their children at home, I still think that until the education policies improve in my country each parent who really cares about the future of his child should look for good ways to help his child have a good future. For some, it means doing afterschool activities at home, for some it can mean homeschooling etc. THere are many ways to help our chilren.
Andrea