Two issues with this article:

First: The article places the responsibility for student failures on the schools. This is naive. The problem runs far deeper that just the schools. Television, the internet, the breakdown of communities, and the videogamecentric nature of our culture are all part of the problem. The problem is cultural.

Yes, there are some failings in the schools. But most of those problems are brought into the schools. They don't originate there.

Second: The article reports,

"In Oklahoma a full 28 percent of eighth-grade students scored "below basic" in reading. Nationally, one in five eighth-graders scored 'below basic' in math.

In Oklahoma nearly two in five eighth-graders scored 'below basic.'"

This is flat-out wrong. "Two in five" is 40 percent. "One in five" is 20 percent. So 28 percent is closer to "one in five" than to "two in five."

By choosing to say "...nearly two in five eighth-graders scored 'below basic,'" the author is making a very misleading statement. Whether by design, or because of mathematical deficiencies, the author is creating a false impression in the minds of his readers.

This is unprofessional at best.

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