Buzz
I know I sound like a parent from another era (and yes, I’m probably earning some eye-rolls or even a few jabs like 'ok boomer'), but as parents, many of us are baffled by how much school curriculums have shifted. After spending over a year homeschooling at the kitchen table, it’s been a real eye-opener, seeing firsthand just how different things are. Sure, times change and priorities evolve, but some changes seem like they went too far.
10. Typing
While cell phones have been around since 1984, texting didn’t become mainstream until the late 1990s. The first mobile phones, which were actually called ‘mobile’ back then, didn’t have full keyboards until the release of the Nokia 900i Communicator in 1997. Fast forward to today: A 2017 study revealed that, excluding app-to-app messages, over 900 million texts are sent every hour worldwide, adding up to an astonishing 22 billion texts per day.
With the belief that students were learning to type on their phones and laptops, schools began to phase out typing classes—something that had been a fundamental part of the curriculum for over a century.
In the past, students were primarily trained in “touch typing” or “keyboarding,” a technique said to have been created by court stenographer Frank McGurrin in 1888. Students learned to type by positioning their fingers on specific keys in the center of the keyboard, known as the “home” row. With their fingers resting on the A, S, D, F, J, K, L, and ; keys, they built muscle memory to help them find the other keys, based on their relative position to the home row. This technique enabled them to reach typing speeds over 100 words per minute.
Recently, teachers have observed that students lacking typing skills tend to develop their own unique methods, often referred to as the peck-and-hunt technique. One teacher in Washington D.C. remarked that it took her elementary school students up to 10 minutes just to type a simple Google search. There's a meme that went around showing a student pecking at the keyboard with their texting thumbs. However, that meme has since lost its humor.
However, speed is not the only advantage of touch typing. This technique exemplifies cognitive automaticity, where a person performs a task without consciously focusing on the process. Other examples include driving, riding a bike, or reading without sounding out the words. In typing, this frees the mind to focus on aspects like sentence structure, finding the right synonyms, or expressing ideas effectively, rather than worrying about where the question mark is located.
9. Cursive
The case against teaching cursive writing argues that most of our writing today happens on keyboards, and in those rare moments when pen to paper is necessary, printing is much simpler. While that’s true, experts argue that cursive writing stimulates neural pathways in our brain that are otherwise overlooked. Writing in cursive activates an interaction between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, which enhances mental sharpness. Studies comparing MRI or CT scans of people typing versus writing cursive show that the sequential finger movements in handwriting engage extensive areas of the brain tied to thinking, language, and working memory, something not achieved through typing.
The advantage of 'working memory' for a student is almost immediate. When taking notes in cursive, the student is forced to process the information and rephrase it in their own words, which boosts retention and understanding. Research has shown that students who take notes in cursive are able to retain the material for a week longer than those who type or print their notes.
Research also indicates that repeatedly practicing the correct pressure, angle of the pen to paper, and planning the fluid left-to-right motion of writing helps build both physical and spatial awareness. This process forms neural pathways that support other sensory skills, like fastening buttons or tying shoes. The repetition of connecting letters creates muscle memory for common patterns (e.g., 'i before e, except after c'), spacing, and spelling—similar to how a pianist develops muscle memory through practice.
For children with dyslexia (which causes them to invert letters in words), dysphagia (difficulty speaking), or attention deficits, printing can be more difficult than cursive due to the start-and-stop motions involved. Some printed letters, like 'b' and 'd,' may appear too similar, which can confuse a child who is already struggling.
If a person cannot write cursive, they are likely unable to read it as well, leaving them functionally illiterate in that aspect of their own language. For example, they would have difficulty reading foundational documents like the original Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. Additionally, a cursive signature is much harder to forge than a printed one. Cursive also improves writing speed and self-discipline, which can lead to increased self-esteem as the individual masters this skill.
8. Shop
Since the late 1990s, education experts have observed a troubling trend: a significant number of young people aged 16 to 24 are neither attending school nor working. A key marker of a young person transitioning into adulthood is either securing employment or pursuing higher education. If they're not doing either, child psychologists term them as 'disconnected.' These young individuals aren't just lacking the maturity to face life's challenges; they're also missing the education and work experience needed to earn a decent living. On top of that, they lack the social and professional networks that would help advance their careers. The rise of social media and gaming has only made this issue worse, and while it's easy to criticize these young people as lazy, the problem may not be so clear-cut.
Ironically, the No Child Left Behind Act (2002-2015), which was designed to improve the employability of youth, may have unintentionally worsened the issue. NCLB aimed to level the playing field for minorities, the poor, and children with special needs or limited English proficiency. While NCLB had some success, it didn't significantly reduce the percentage of disconnected youth. In 2000, the percentage was 3.9%; by 2010, it had increased to 7.5%. The successor to NCLB, the Every Student Succeeds Act (2016-present), hasn't fared any better. A 2018 study found that 18% of 18-24-year-olds were disconnected, with no significant improvement among minorities or impoverished youth.
A common critique of NCLB and ESSA was the imposition of narrow academic standards, which were mainly based on standardized testing. Teachers were often pressured to focus on test preparation, leaving little room for subjects not covered by these tests, such as shop class. As a result, shop classes, once an essential part of the curriculum, have nearly disappeared.
In the past, shop class taught a wide range of practical skills, from tool use and household maintenance to auto repair and crafting with materials like wood, metal, and pottery. It served as an artistic outlet for students who didn’t participate in music or theater. It also offered a gateway to careers in the trades. There has always been a strong demand for skilled tradespeople, such as electricians, paramedics, plumbers, chefs, carpenters, mechanics, engineers, and construction workers. These jobs are just as valuable as those requiring higher education, but children aren't often encouraged to pursue them.
In the rush to push everyone toward college prep, many students were discouraged from entering the trades, even when their abilities were better suited to these fields. They were often told that struggling in the classroom meant they were inferior to college-bound students and destined for failure. Sadly, some parents reinforced this belief, damaging their child's self-esteem unnecessarily. Anyone who has explored the earnings of electricians or plumbers (without the burden of college debt) knows this idea is unfounded.
7. Latin
At the beginning of the 20th century, over half of U.S. public high school students were required to study Latin as part of their foreign language curriculum, primarily because it was a prerequisite for college admissions. However, in 1958, the National Defense Education Act was passed, focusing on preparing students for subjects deemed crucial for national defense, like math and science. As a result, Latin was excluded from the approved subjects, leading to a sharp decline in enrollment in Latin classes—from 702,000 students in 1962 to just 150,000 by 1976. Although there has been a slight revival of Latin in secondary schools, it is now mainly taught in colleges and college-preparatory institutions.
While Latin is often referred to as a 'dead' language, this is a misconception. It's true that Latin is rarely spoken outside the realm of Harry Potter, but it is the foundation for 60% of all English vocabulary and 90% of the vocabulary in fields like science and technology. Understanding Latin roots helps students decode both English and Math, the latter being a language of logic, structured thinking, and attention to detail, much like Latin. A study comparing the test scores of Latin students with those learning Spanish, French, or German found that Latin students performed better, with English literacy scores a year ahead and math scores nine months ahead of their peers.
Latin's emphasis on understanding grammatical structures and parts of speech makes it an excellent foundation for learning other languages. Once students master concepts like grammatical gender, conjugation, verb agreement, and inflected nouns in Latin, they are well-prepared to tackle these same concepts in other languages, even more complex ones like Russian. Additionally, around 80% of the vocabulary in Romance languages such as Italian, French, Spanish, Romanian, and Portuguese, as well as much of their grammar and structure, is derived from Latin.
We've already discussed how much scientific and technical terminology is rooted in Latin (and Greek), so it's no surprise that Latin is highly beneficial for students in the fields of science and medicine. However, Latin also plays a crucial role in legal terminology. Additionally, while computer programming languages are diverse and constantly evolving, all of them follow logical sequences, much like Latin itself.
6. Cooking
Home Economics classes were initially introduced to teach women the necessary skills for employment outside the home. However, by the 1960s and 70s, the course began to be viewed as a way to keep women at home rather than in the workforce. This was partly due to the gender-segregated nature of the course, which was mandatory for girls, much like shop class was for boys. The decline of home economics, however, was less due to changing perceptions and more because of a shift in priorities from college recruiters.
In 1970, women earned just 9.1% of all business bachelor’s degrees. By 1984, that number had increased to 45%, and by 2001, women earned 50%. By 2017, women accounted for 61% or more of bachelor’s degrees in 9 out of 16 academic fields. Additionally, 56% of all U.S. undergraduate students are now women. This shift led educators to focus more on college preparation, both for boys and girls, rather than on teaching domestic skills. This is despite the fact that around 70% of high school graduates will need college preparation, while almost all will need practical skills for everyday life, whether or not they graduate from college.
As one educator put it, 'In higher ed[ucation], there is definitely an air of: ‘How does this develop marketable skills?’ Which, it seems, has trickled down into the K-to-12 arena.' This focus on marketable skills, combined with an emphasis on standardized testing and performance metrics, has led to the decline of home economics courses. With budget cuts and time constraints, subjects like sewing and cooking have been pushed aside. These courses, now called 'Family and Consumer Sciences,' are often the first to be eliminated from school curriculums.
Historically, Home Economics covered essential life skills like budgeting, managing a bank account, paying bills, filing taxes, understanding credit card usage, and saving for retirement. Much like shop classes, it served as a broad subject that included topics such as sewing, child-rearing, and cooking. With the decline of these courses in secondary education, many students are now turning to 'adulting' classes in college. While this would be ideal for those who can afford these courses, not every adult in need of these skills has access to or can afford college education.
One of the most missed aspects of Home Economics is cooking. Millennials, in particular, have faced criticism for their tendency to prepare meals that are overly reliant on convenience foods, such as frozen meals or microwave-ready options. Compared to older generations, they are more likely to opt for fast food or restaurant meals. This shift in eating habits is unhealthy and contributes to rising obesity rates. Cooking, however, not only helps burn calories but also encourages a shift from processed foods to healthier, fresher alternatives. The act of cooking also fosters a sense of ownership, making it more likely that individuals will eat the food they prepare and save any leftovers. Additionally, cooking meals at home is far more cost-effective than relying on prepackaged or restaurant food.
5. Interpersonal Communication
A look at blogs and social media posts on the topic of technology in education shows a contentious debate. On one side, educators and schools defend their stance on having students leave their cell phones at the door. On the other, students and parents argue that such policies are outdated and that constant connectivity to the world is essential. The statistics surrounding screen time are alarming—children aged 8 to 10 spend an average of 8 hours a day on media, half of their waking hours. For teenagers, that number increases to 9 hours a day.
The results are concerning. The average person switches their focus between their cell phone, laptop, or tablet 21 times per hour, conditioning the brain to have a shorter attention span (8 seconds) than that of a goldfish (9 seconds). While older generations have learned to balance screen time with face-to-face interactions, millennials have far less experience with the latter. This gap is evident in areas like conflict resolution. 'I can't imagine these kids sitting down in an interview and having a reciprocal conversation easily,' said Child Psychologist Melissa Ortega. 'They haven’t had these years of learning about awkward pauses. Tolerating discomfort is something they’re not used to...' The lack of face-to-face communication also makes it harder for millennials to read emotions in others' expressions and to maintain essential communication practices like eye contact. Ideally, eye contact should be held for 60% to 70% of a conversation, but today it often drops to just 30%.
A 2018 survey revealed that 80% of executives and hiring managers consider good speaking skills to be the most important quality in job candidates. However, fewer than 50% of applicants possess the skills they’re seeking. If schools are truly focused on preparing students for employment, it’s clear that they are falling short.
Once despised, speech class once gave students the chance to refine their verbal communication skills, but like many other subjects, it has now been squeezed out of curriculums. Years ago, there was a class called Etiquette, focused on teaching good manners. While many argue that manners should be taught at home, the reality is they often aren't. In Etiquette class, students learned everything from how to tie a tie and the proper handshake technique to the importance of maintaining eye contact.
In an attempt to fill the gap, teachers have increasingly required in-class presentations, but these too are met with resistance. A 15-year-old's tweet equated in-class presentations with bullying the socially anxious and suggested giving students a choice on whether to present. The tweet quickly gained traction, receiving over 130,000 retweets and half a million likes. One comment even suggested that students should never be forced to raise their hand in class. One might question what kind of job these teens expect, one that would excuse them from verbal communication simply due to anxiety, or what type of relationships they anticipate if they avoid verbal participation.
4. Civics
Civics used to be a staple course in middle school, often paired with American Government in high school. However, as the social and political climate shifted in the 60s with events like Vietnam and Watergate, enthusiasm for learning about government waned. Schools, embracing what became known as the 'new social studies,' began focusing on specialized social sciences like economics and psychology, but left civics behind. By 1986, half of all high school juniors reported they hadn't taken an American government class. The following year, efforts to reintroduce civics into the curriculum gained momentum.
Today, civics is generally taught in high school, but debates about civics literacy continue. In April 2020, Purdue University's governing body in Indiana considered a proposal to require students to pass a civics literacy test before graduating. Many questioned why such a burdensome requirement should be imposed on seniors, especially when they believed it was content that should have been taught in K-12 education.
Indiana mandates a semester of civics for high school students, but it is not one of the 17 states that require students to pass a civics literacy exam in order to graduate. While every state requires some form of civic or social studies coursework, the quality of the instruction varies greatly, with some states excelling and others lagging behind.
For example, 9 states require a full year of high school civics, 30 mandate a semester, while the remaining 11 states have no specific requirement on the amount of civics education. While 25 states allow students to earn credit for community volunteering or civic engagement, only Maryland requires such involvement for high school graduation. Just 31 states implement a comprehensive civics curriculum, which includes essential topics like 'Explanation/Comparison of Democracy,' 'The Constitution and Bill of Rights,' and 'Public Participation.'
And the consequences are evident. A 2016 survey found that only 26% of American adults could correctly name all three branches of their government. A 2018 survey revealed that two-thirds of Americans would fail the U.S. citizenship test. A study of college graduates showed that most couldn't identify key aspects of American governance, such as the origin of the separation of powers, the father of the Constitution, or congressional term limits. Even more troubling, a survey found that one-third of Americans couldn't name any of the five fundamental rights in the First Amendment. Some responses were outright absurd—nearly 10% of college grads mistakenly believed Judge Judy was on the Supreme Court. As for the cause of the Cold War? Some blamed 'climate change.'
3. Logic or Critical Thinking
Years ago, many high schools offered a class—usually an elective—called Critical Thinking or simply Logic. The goal of this class was not to tell students what to think, but how to think. It taught students to question everything they read or hear, to never accept information at face value, and to withhold judgment until they understood all perspectives of an issue. The course emphasized avoiding 'groupthink' and encouraged discussions on the diverse interpretations of cultural media like movies, TV shows, and books. Students were trained in structured analysis and engaged in debates on contentious topics ranging from current events to politics, history, natural sciences, economics, sociology, and even religion. This course, often considered a 'soft skill' in psychology, was highly valued by many, as a 2013 Gallup Poll found that 80% of Americans believed K-12 students should be taught these critical thinking skills.
Due to the overwhelming number of required subjects dictated by state and federal education departments, logic courses were eliminated from most curricula. While a few educators continued teaching critical thinking within their subject areas, even they had to simplify their lessons due to rising regulations. This led to both teachers and students feeling disengaged. With limited time, students were often expected to accept whatever was presented—whether spoken by the teacher or written in textbooks—without questioning it or considering alternate explanations. As a result, generations grew up uncritically consuming media, whether accepting it entirely or rejecting it based on the creator’s personal views. This lack of critical thinking also led to generations that would rather suppress opposing views than explore their validity. They increasingly viewed disagreements as personal attacks on their self-worth rather than as expressions of differing opinions. While no single class could reverse all of this, the journey to improvement must start somewhere.
2. Play
Though many of the issues discussed in this list affect the secondary education system, the changes have been felt throughout the entire spectrum. One of the clearest examples can be seen in kindergarten classrooms and playgrounds. In 2019, teachers in Brookline, Massachusetts, spoke out against policies that reduced playtime in favor of more structured, test-focused instruction. A teacher shared that, just ten years ago, kindergarten students had two half-hour recesses, with class time involving a mix of games and social-emotional learning. Now, however, they get only one recess, with the emphasis placed on goal-oriented lessons typically seen in higher grade levels. The result is a group of children who are increasingly stressed and no longer find joy in school.
Brookline school administrators explained that these changes were implemented due to concerns over low-income children who missed preschool and lacked the reading skills of their peers. Superintendent Andrew Bott noted, 'We were very much aware that if children didn’t read fluently by third grade, the chances of catching up would be almost insurmountable.'
However, research does not back up their hopes for improved reading skills. A German study from the 1970s compared 50 graduates of play-based kindergartens with 50 from direct-instruction kindergartens. Initially, the direct-instruction group showed positive results, but by fourth grade, they were significantly behind the play-based group in both reading and math. They were also less mature emotionally and socially. Similar studies in the U.S. with low-income children revealed comparable outcomes: short-term improvements that disappeared and even reversed over time. One study tracked these children until they were 15 and 23 years old, finding no academic differences between the two groups but significant social and emotional disparities. The direct-instruction group at 23 was more likely to have difficulties in relationships, to be unmarried and living alone, and to have a criminal record (39% versus 14%). Among those with criminal records, 19% had been arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, compared to 0% in the play-based group.
Experts argue that when kindergarteners are given the freedom to choose their own activities and work through conflicts by negotiating with others, they develop valuable social skills that last a lifetime. A balanced combination of unstructured free play and structured play, along with exercises designed to spark creativity and curiosity, helps children grow into well-rounded individuals. In such environments, kids learn to manage their emotions, interact empathetically with others, and even enhance their language abilities.
In light of the protests from Brookline, teachers across the nation shared their personal experiences, illustrating that this issue extends far beyond Brookline. One kindergarten teacher wrote:
“Here are some things I’ve said this fall: ‘We do NOT play in kindergarten. Don’t do that again!’ (when a student was building an amazing 3D scorpion with math blocks instead of practicing addition); ‘No, I can’t read you Pete the Cat. We have to do our reading’ (90 minutes of scripted lessons); ‘Those clips hanging from the ceiling are for art class, but no, we can’t do any art. We have to do our reading lesson’ (my students get art once a month for 40 minutes); ‘No, you can’t look at books or play with toys’ (literacy toys and games); ‘No, we can’t do a science experiment. We have to do our reading’; ‘No, we can’t color. We have to do our reading.’ ... I hate my job. I love my kids, but I hate the curriculum. However, I can’t afford to quit. I’m too close to retirement to start over.”
1. Driver’s Education
In the 1970s, nearly 95% of eligible high school students took driver’s education, usually during the summer between their sophomore and junior years. However, after a study in the early 1980s questioned the effectiveness of driver’s ed in improving teen road safety, public funding was cut, and school insurance premiums soared. As a result, driver’s education shifted to private companies and online courses. The issue with these alternatives was that, unlike traditional programs, they were (and still are) not consistently regulated, leading the president of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety to describe them as 'faster, cheaper, but not necessarily better programs.'
Additionally, not every teenager can afford the hefty fees for private driving instruction, which can cost up to $500, not to mention the added expenses of owning a car, paying for insurance, and fueling it. As a result, fewer high schoolers are obtaining their driver's licenses. The percentage of 16-year-olds without a driver's license fell from 46% in 1983 to 24% in 2016, and the number of 19-year-olds without a license decreased from 87% to 69% in the same period. The most significant impact has been on low-income families. For instance, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where 32% of families live below the federal poverty level, the shift from public to private driver’s education began in 2004. Between 2004 and 2016, the statewide number of teens receiving their licenses before turning 18 dropped by 5%, but in Kalamazoo, the drop was 13%.
Another contributing factor is the introduction of graduated licensing laws around the same time, which grant driving privileges in stages and impose restrictions on risky driving behaviors, such as driving at night or with other teens. These stages generally require a set number of supervised driving hours with a parent or driving instructor before they turn 18. As a result, some teens are simply postponing getting their licenses until they reach 18 so they can avoid supervision and the cost of driving instruction. This trend means that some teenagers might start driving without any formal training. To address this potential risk, some states are considering extending the supervision requirement until the age of 21, though this would likely face resistance.
The most logical solution is to reinstate driver’s education within high schools and eliminate the often complicated and inconsistent graduated licensing system. School-based driver’s education offers several advantages. An approved curriculum could include practical lessons, such as how to change a tire, check the oil, and identify important car parts. Students in school-sponsored programs tend to be younger, and hands-on, experience-based learning tends to be more memorable. Additionally, school-based instruction is typically conducted in small groups, where two or three students practice driving together under the guidance of an instructor. This setup allows students to not only learn from their own experiences but also benefit from observing their peers.
