Now that the turkey is gone and the kids are back in school, it’s a good time for us to discuss their education – or, as some would say, their lack of one.

Here are a few quick facts as background:

Fact: While everyone is talking about the looming fiscal cliff, most academics and education officials agree that we in the U.S. have already gone over the educational cliff . No one seemed to notice, or didn’t care.

Fact: Our kid’s scores in those crucial subjects - math, science, grammar, etc. – continue to drop year-over-year to dramatic and alarming levels.

Fact: Employers in the U.S. are having a difficult time finding qualified candidates with the basic necessary skills set that meet their work requirements.  

I call these sad trends – the dumbing down of America.

And who is to blame? In short, everyone is to blame – parents, teachers, school administrators and politicians.

The average parent is to blame for two reasons: (1) for not taking a more and direct interest in their child’s education and (2) for not demanding from their politicians that education be a top priority.

Most teachers – not all - are to blame for doing the minimum in their classrooms to get the bare minimum passing test scores, and for not pressing their students to ask a basic question of learning: “Why?” 

School administrators are to blame for not putting students first and foremost. I attended a high-level school board meeting and the word student was never uttered – it was mostly internal politics and power grabbing.

And finally politicians are to blame for not placing the education of our children at the top of their priorities. If politicians focused on education as they do their next election, we would not be in the educational predicament we face today.

The education deficit in the U.S. is worse than you think, especially when we are compared to the rest of the world.

Why should we care about education in China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Canada and other like countries? It’s important for the simple reason that their children’s test scores are leaving our kids behind.

Needless to say, Bush’s education legislation of No Child Left Behind is a monumental failure – it not only left your child behind, it has doomed all our children to an uncertain future.

Watch this video. You should be alarmed by what an employer says in this 60 Minutes segment: “I cannot tell you how many people we get, even with higher degrees, that can’t put a complete sentence together without basic grammatical mistakes.”

Now imagine the person applying for that job to be your future young adult Johnny or Susie.

A manager of mine a long time ago told me, “Don’t just bring me a problem, bring me a solution to that problem.”

I have posed one of the biggest problems we face as a nation and society. In Part 2, I want to suggest some ways you as a parent can help your child face their future with a bit more confidence.

But I want to hear from you. What is your opinion about this grave problem that we face today? Do you have some solutions on how to fix it and fit it quickly?

We always want the best for our children. Unfortunately we are not giving them a better education than what we had. So as you tuck in your little dunce tonight, just know that they most likely will not be as smart as you, and their children may be even dumber.

Eli is a columnist for TownSquareBuzz.com, a marketer and published author. You may have seen him on the tele or heard him on the radio. Feel free to contact Eli directly via TSB or drop him a note at TheEliHernandez@gmail.com. 

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