1) The Common Core Standards do not call for teaching cursive writing or reading; plus, at least 41 states don’t require it, either, and that troubles many educators.
2) The number of schools adding hours or days has jumped 53% since 2009, according to the National Center on Time and Learning,’ a move to combat “summer learning loss.”
3) 73% of AP and National Writing Project teachers say their students use phones in the classroom or to complete homework.
4) Textbook prices have jumped 82% in the last 10 years. The result: 34% of students download course content from unauthorized sites, and 31% photocopy or scan chapters from borrowed textbooks.
5) Fewer than 3% of students graduate high school in 3 years, according to the National Center on Education Statistics.