The quality of the curriculum has undoubtedly eroded -- as does everything gliberals control. But a factor that the Heritage Foundation will NEVER mention is dysgenic breeding: lower IQ people reproduce at a higher rate than higher IQ people do, and the inevitable result is a lowering of the average IQ. This problem affects the black race moreso than it does the white race, as their lower IQ / higher IQ reproduction rate ratio is higher than that of whites. Fifty years ago the brilliant scientist William Shockley spent much time and money trying to warn people about this problem -- and he proposed some possible solutions. But he was vilified as a racist by the (((usual suspects))) who control the media.

Another factor that the Heritage Foundation will NEVER mention (again!) is the effect of massive immigration of a lower IQ population. Back in 2013 Jason Richwine co-authored a well-researched study that concluded that millions of relatively low IQ immigrants lowered the average IQ of the US population. Plain and simple math and logic -- just like that of Shockley years before.

For daring to state that politically unpleasant truth, Richwine was roundly denounced. No factual counterarguments were proffered; as with the "antisemitism" laws of Europe, "truth is no defense". The first thing "conservative" Jim Demint did in his new job as president of the Heritage Foundation was to summarily fire Richwine.

these declines are the latest evidence casting significant doubt on Common Core’s learning standards and approach to student improvement

If you are a math, engineering or physics major, you can understand it but even college math students wouldn't use it. And, grade school students just need to know how to add, substract, multiply, and divide. For them, using common core methods to solve simple arithmetic problems is ridiculous.

If you are a math, engineering or physics major, you can understand it but even college math students wouldn't use it. And, grade school students just need to know how to add, substract, multiply, and divide. For them, using common core methods to solve simple arithmetic problems is ridiculous.

I never had any college time. I was a hard worker my whole life and drove trucks for most of it. I did a lot of hard labor too and gave my health to the Illinois state Highways with many back injuries.

But when I took the test to become an HM on the highways, there were a lot of black guys taking the test too. Most of them were scratching their heads. It was a common sense test. ;)