I agree with everything Dr. Summ writes and have also been part of the "parents aren't doing their share" bandwagon. But recently I decided, while that may be the case, there has to be SOMETHING public schools can do to make up for the parents'lack. And there is. We need to start worrying about the children more than the test scores. Testing is important but only as it comes to showing us what students know and what they are lacking.

Schools and parents are equally guilty of social promotion, just moving students on without the necessary skills to succeed. Then we wonder, why they get caught up in this cycle of failure?

Our education system needs to be blown up and put in its place a system based on performance ability grouping. No one would be forced forward until they knew what they needed to learn at their own pace. This isn't the same as retention. One elementary school did this and in four years Hispanic and Black children's test scores went from 44% to 88% in four years. For more information on the subject, you can go to the Washington Post.