American public schools, by all the usual metrics, have steadily declined for a century.  Was this inevitable?  Or is there an evil plot aimed at our students? The larger pattern is clear.  Each year, traditional education has less influence on public schools.  Meanwhile, the theories and methods generally called Progressive grow more dominant.  Progressives insist that their ideas are superior.  What we know for sure is that they are taking over, like killer bees flying up from Brazil. Another thing is clear.  Our Education Establishment is brilliant at concocting attractive jargon and clever marketing slogans, even for the most destructive practices.  Who could oppose such melodious proposals as whole language, student-centered learning, higher-order thinking skills, experiential education, cooperative learning, project-based learning, constructivist instruction, Bloom's taxonomy, Common Core,...(Read Full Article)