Wonderful thoughts, very nicely presented.

And I’d be willing to bet that many HS students who are scoring reasonably well in math and science would not be able to follow your prose coherently. You clearly have a balance of analytical knowledge, understanding of mathematical principles, and an impressive set of verbal skills.

I constantly see articles and hear speeches extolling the virtues of math and science education and the need for their emphasis. Hear, hear, say I.

What I don’t see or hear very often is people stressing the need for advanced reading comprehension. We seem, as a society, content to have college graduates with 8th-grade level reading and verbal skills — as long as they do well in math and biology!

I know we have educators amongst our Lizardim, and I’d certainly be curious about their take. As an observer, although I absolutely decry the loss of music and athletic programs in schools across the country, I am very concerned that we may have an entire generation or two who will be utterly unable to comprehend laws or contracts, or to even begin to understand how to navigate political double-talk. How did we get to the point where heavy emphasis on voluminous reading seems to have fallen by the wayside?

Once again, very nice piece.