My whole point is that as long as we insist that kids attend school we should insist that they learn what's being taught. Remember that the curriculum is written so that the least intelligent in the group will understand it. That means that except for mental defect everyone should successfully learn the lessons.
I'm not sure what you mean by "insist." Many of the students who fail to learn the standards drop out of school. Some school districts have a 60% dropout rate. Others do not graduate high school because they do not pass their courses. I don't know how familiar you are with this process, so I apologize if I say anything obvious or come across as insulting your knowledge base but, these are some of the things I did not know before I became a teacher.
There are several graduation tracks in American high schools (some variety state-to-state).
1. Some students are on an A-G track. These are classes which are prerequisites for university entrance. They include Chemistry, Algebra II, and English which focuses on academic reading and writing. These classes are moderately rigorous and necessary for acceptance into tier 3 Universities.
2. Non-A-G-- Not all students can pass A-G classes. There are different levels of student maturation and cognition. Many students who are not A-G tracked, later become highly success fun in college and their carrier. Some of these students include those with an IEP or 504 plan (special education). Through no fault of their own, they require extra support
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - NCLD
3. Advanced Placement (AP) Honors--These students aced at academic work. They have a higher IQ distribution, tend to be self motivated, and have support at home. These students are routinely accepted to tier 1 and 2 universities. They are about 10% of the student population.
Teachers and administrators further distinguish between learner types: Kinesthetic Learners, Audio Learners, Visual Learners etc:
CAST: About Universal Design for Learning
Students are not a homogenous group. They do not all have the same abilities or come in the same shoe size. There is an incredible amount of variability in cognitive ability, language proficiency, and personal difficulty. My students have parents who are in jail, deported, abusive, addicted, cognitively impaired etc. Few of my students, or most students, in America, come from middle class families with two car garages. They struggle to keep up with kids who's parents buy them computers, printers, and cars to drive to school.
Curriculum is not written so the "least intelligent in the group will understand it." The standards are high. Educators do what we can, given the students we are given, to help each student meet those standards. These kids need to be read stories before bed at night. They need to be taught how to count back change at three years old. They need more support than what is available to them. It's not about curriculum.
