In the 1950s, American school kids celebrated the coming of summer with a poem:

 

"No more pencils,

No more books,

No more teacher's

Dirty looks!"

 

Today, the "dirty looks" are cast at traditional grading as much has changed in the nation's public schools. Progressive policies that harm children are being installed around the country, but many don't understand what's really going on because there is little media coverage.

 

Let's analyze the effort to eliminate grades. According to leftist philosophy, traditional grading is racist because some minority students are deprived and can't compete with privileged white children. And there is some truth to that. I saw it first hand while teaching high school in a ghetto north of Miami, Florida.

 

The progressive solution is to eliminate "A to F" evaluations and replace them with a totally subjective "does the student understand the classwork" mandate.

 

That system allows the teacher vast power because there's no specific academic baseline. Also, many schools are under pressure to promote kids even if they don't know anything and the teachers know it.

 

Those who embrace this soft academic approach justify it by citing slavery, societal bias, and anti-American grievance in general.

 

But the real reason so many minority children don't compete well in school is poor parenting. The same goes for white and Native-American students. In fact, few children of any race can succeed academically if they live in chaotic homes with parents who don't care about them.

 

That. Is. The. Truth.

 

And unless the public school system acknowledges that truth, children in terrible circumstances will not prosper. I mean, how could they possibly compete in the marketplace with the "white privilege" crew? And if young Americans can't compete, what is likely to happen? You can do the math on that question.

 

The largest school district in the country, New York City, spends more than $28,000 per student each year. Yet, most kids cannot master Math and English. The average Catholic school spends half that, and those students perform much better academically.

 

Why? Simple. Parents who pay to send their kids to Catholic schools obviously care about academic discipline because that's what most private schools provide.

 

Public schools often do not foster discipline. And now, in New York City, classroom attendance is no longer even required for academic evaluation, nor is civil conduct.

 

The cold reality is that the progressive educational zealots are setting up deprived kids for lifelong failure. There is no skin color factor when it comes to native intelligence. Under disciplined circumstances, almost every child can learn and develop their talents.

 

But just like the criminal-justice system, the progressives want to eliminate accountability and are playing the race card to do it.