<p>While I agree that many cases that math/science instruction is more complex, many students cannot handle it. I have not taken a math class in 30 years, and I can still factor. (BTW, I was not a math major, either) Many of my son’s friends cannot, and they are in the upper level math classes. They get to college and find that they are not prepared for the rigor. Writing is a lost art, and to a certain extent, I blame the internet for the problem. The IM speak is wonderful for IM, but not for formal writing such as research papers.</p>
<p>And free reading, well, it does not exist for many students. Schedules do not allow for it in some cases, but my youngest son hates to read. He has time, but a strange reading curriculum in elementary school that put an emphasis on quantity not quality of material killed his love of reading.</p>