Raising the Dumbest Generation in US History

[VMI77]

http://www.goacta.org/images/download/A ... cation.pdf

There is a crisis in American civic education. Survey after survey shows that
recent college graduates are alarmingly ignorant of America’s history and
heritage. They cannot identify the term lengths of members of Congress,
the substance of the First Amendment, or the origin of the separation of powers.
They do not know the Father of the Constitution, and nearly 10% say that Judith
Sheindlin—“Judge Judy”—is on the Supreme Court.

How do Americans amend the Constitution? More than half of college
graduates didn’t know. Almost 60% of college graduates failed to identify
correctly a requirement for ratifying a constitutional amendment.

We live in a dangerous world—but almost 40% of college graduates didn’t
know that Congress has the power to declare war.

College graduates were even confused about the term lengths of members of
Congress. Almost half could not recognize that senators are elected to six-
year terms and representatives are elected to two-year terms.

Less than half of college graduates knew that presidential impeachments are
tried before the U.S. Senate.

Many of the figures may actually understate how poorly our colleges are doing because
older respondents performed significantly better than younger ones. For example,
98.2% of college graduates over the age of 65 knew that the president cannot
establish taxes—but only 73.8% of college graduates aged 25–34 answered correctly.
Most college graduates over age 65 knew how to amend the Constitution—76.7%
answered correctly. But among college graduates aged 25–34, less than a third
chose the right answer, and over half answered that the president must ratify an
amendment, failing to comprehend how the division of powers among coequal
branches protects citizens’ rights.

College GRADUATES. I can't say I'm surprised as my homeschooled son regularly regaled me with tales about the ignorance and stupidity of the vast majority of his fellow students at UT....where most of the top HS graduates in Texas attend. The decline continues. None of this is accidental. It's all by design.

[randy634]

So true! I work on a college campus, I know.....

[VMI77]

So true! I work on a college campus, I know.....

My son went to a top law school...it doesn't get much better. While the students were obviously more intelligent they were equally ignorant and misinformed.

[Abraham]

Leftist professors are Saul Alinsky acolytes...making certain students remain unschooled in American history and hateful toward Capitalism and the Constitution.

A four year degree from almost any university is laughable.

Those who earn degrees in science aren't exposed as much, but sadly, they're still exposed to some of this poison.

[Abraham]

koine2002,

Perhaps, I'm the only one here who found what you had to say a mystery, but your last post was for the most part incomprehensible.

Please, try that post again in every day English, for us that don't speak academic-ese....

As an example of what comes across as dense: The school I'm at has 25 metrics that we are accountable to in our accreditation. 6 are directly related to education. I need more specificity to fully understand what you're trying to get across.

What does that mean in every day English language?

I'm honestly not trying to bust your chops.

I would like to know what the heck your saying...

Thanks!

[VMI77]

As one who, until recently, was full time in higher education (I'm still an adjunct) it's a complex problem. However, it's been a steady decline since the 1970s with the ubiquity of Tite IV money and the associated strings attached that are enforced by the recognized accrediting councils. Education is no longer a matter of creating educated citizens who happen to also be employable. It's turned into an employee factory. The first thing to go is fields not deemed <em>directly</em> necessary to employability in the anointed fields (STEM). The humanities, the cradle of western civilization in which the principles that informed our republic's founding, go by the wayside.

The accrediting councils, which are private, are at the mercy of the USDE. Colleges are at the mercy of both, because while accreditation (except in a few states) is not mandatory, Title IV funds don't come unless a school is accredited. No school can survive in the current milieu without taking Title IV money. Some of the longest holdouts have actually caved in.

The school I'm at has 25 metrics that we are accountable to in our accreditation. 6 are directly related to education. About 10 are indirectly related. The remainder are ancillary to actual education. Student retention and long term employability are two major areas that hurt many schools when it's time for reaffirmation. One college in our area (not mine), to meet those demands, laid off a bunch of full time faculty, citing a budget shortfall then turned around and hired as many assistant deans as faculty they laid off. It was all about those areas ancillary to the actual process of education . Schools must now focus on making students happy and sacrificing education on the alter of utility.

This is not just in higher ed, though. I sub a lot. Social studies (in middle school), the histories, government, and economics are a joke. They're most often taught by folks whose primary job is something else (coaching, for instance). It's also only the maths and sciences where great lengths are take to ensure students don't cheat on their ACPs.

For many if not most students today's college diploma is yesterday's HS diploma.

In some ways comparing college graduates today to graduates in their 60s is unfair. HS indoctrination wasn't as bad 40 years ago and far fewer HS grads went to college. Half or more of those in college are intellectually unfit and shouldn't be there in the first place. The only reason they're in college is the availability of easy money, and for most that take the easy money all they have to look forward to is debt servitude.

STEM emphasis may depend on the school. There are plenty of unemployable graduates with degrees in wymn's studies and other social justice degrees.

When you say that no college can survive without taking Title IV money I'd argue that many, as many as half or more, shouldn't survive.

An emphasis on employability is more of an effect than a cause. The decline in standards and quality is an engineered decline right out of the left's playbook authored by Saul Alinsky. The left played the long game and got control of the educational system and now they're in the process of turning out the lights of western civilization.

[chandler583]

Well, I for one did graduate with a STEM degree in Engineering from Texas A&M, I would like to think that a majority of the students that attend that university are above average in being aware of what's going on in the country around them, but I'm not so sure anymore.

I try to pay attention to world events and politicians to hold them accountable, I could careless what jersey shore or the Kardashians are doing. But, then again, I don't think Fireball whiskey is the best alcohol around either, so I may just be an exception to the rule.

[baldeagle]

Yep. I predict that in one more generation America will be no more, and the Constitution will be in the trash dump of history.

[JALLEN]

A great many are above average, it's just the average has gotten so low.

I have urged for years that we close public schools. For decades, more and more money has been poured down that hole, and we have less and less to show for it. The public schools have been bogged down with every goofy liberal socialist progressive notion, to the point that the "3R's" are almost unknown.

To replace this hopelessly inept system, I think the state could give a voucher, redeemable at any educational offering the parents chose. Some kids are headed towards Rhodes Scholars, some are cut out to be Road scholars, some are not scholars at all. Why waste ever more money feeding sham pearls to real swine?

Many of the teachers who are effective will be picked up by private educational organizations, and compensated for their worth. The rest won't, and will join rhe legions of hamburger flippers. The real estate owned by the schools can be put back on the tax rolls.

I haven't figured out what to do about Friday night football in my scheme, but someone will think of something.

[ScottDLS]

I don't think these "surveys" and "man in the street" interviews are necessarily indicative of the real education level of today's college graduates. If anything, the issue probably has more to do with the federal government pushing college level education on people who don't need it or aren't qualified for it. That and the fact that most people of whatever age don't take these surveys seriously. Are they really controlled studies that say that graduates think Judge Judy is on SCOTUS? Somehow I doubt it.

The problem with the Humanities and non-STEM disciplines are they have been almost completely taken over by Marxists. Math and Science are harder to turn into political indoctrination, hence employers trust these degrees more as an indicator of whether you actually learned something. Now that said, I would hire a History major from Hillsdale College for a business job any day...

The reason no one learns anything about Civics or the Constitution or Western Civilization in school today is the complete domination of these subjects at all levels by hard left ideologues...This is of course a result of the federal government getting involved in education to a greater and greater degree since the 1960's...

[stroo]

The types of political, governmental and historical knowledge that today's college students do not know should not be learned in college; they should be learned in middle school and high school. But current curriculum at those levels, which has been produced by leftists over the last 50 years, not only fails to teach these things but often teaches just plain wrong "facts". Unless we take back our educational establishment, this is just going to get worse.

[VMI77]

Well, I for one did graduate with a STEM degree in Engineering from Texas A&M, I would like to think that a majority of the students that attend that university are above average in being aware of what's going on in the country around them, but I'm not so sure anymore.

I try to pay attention to world events and politicians to hold them accountable, I could careless what jersey shore or the Kardashians are doing. But, then again, I don't think Fireball whiskey is the best alcohol around either, so I may just be an exception to the rule.

Unless it has changed dramatically since my oldest was there about 10 years ago the majority are not informed or aware. As an engineer myself, even though I'm old, I think I can say with confidence that the people you most associated with were in an entirely different intellectual class than the majority of liberal arts students.

You need only look at a distribution of IQ by major to observe the well established intellectual differences between the sciences and the liberal arts....such as they are. Today's liberal arts are not your grandfather's liberal arts. That isn't to say higher IQ necessarily means better informed or less misinformed. My youngest went to law school with plenty of high IQ and misinformed students. Nor does lower IQ necessary mean uninformed or misinformed, though I think it safe to assume some correlation exists between IQ and ignorance.


http://www.randalolson.com/2014/06/25/a ... der-ratio/

Here's a list that omits gender:

http://www.bachelor-of-education.org/college-major-iq/

Lowest IQs by major:
- Social Work - 103
- Early Childhood - 104
- Student Counseling - 105
- Special - 106
- Home Economics - 106
- Elementary - 108
- Other Education - 109
- Education - 110
- Other Social Science - 110
- Communications - 111
- Business Administration & Management - 111
- Health & Medical Sciences - 111
- Curriculum & Instruction - 111
- Higher Education - 112
- Psychology - 113
- Business - 114
- Other Business - 114
- Sociology - 114
- Performance & Studio Arts - 114
- Social Sciences - 115
- Secondary Education - 116

Highest IQs by major:
- Biological Sciences - 121
- Earth, Atmosphere, & Mar. Science - 121
- Industrial Engineering - 123
- Civil Engineering - 124
- Computer & Information Science - 124
- Chemistry - 124
- Other Humanities & Art - 124
- Physical Sciences - 125
- Banking & Finance - 125
- Electrical Engineering - 126
- Engineering - 126
- Mechanical Engineering - 126
- Other Engineering - 128
- Chemical Engineering - 128
- Economics - 128
- Materials Engineering - 129
- Philosophy - 129
- Mathematical Sciences - 130
- Physics & Astronomy - 133