After pointing out that the situation has been going on for so long that companies must by now be feeling the impact of a poorly educated workforce, I asked, "What's taking them so long?"

Employers are aware of the problems. Parents are too. Even governments are. Unfortunately, teachers' unions want to maintain their control so they can have all that dues money. In most school systems, teachers do not have to know the subject they teach, but they must have been taught how to teach (hah!). They must not deviate from the approved methods. School boards decide what subjects must be taught, or offered, but often do not make clear a line of progression through the subject over the years. It's going to have to be parents who finally succeed, and that's going to parents who have the will and the time. In other words: the rich. We can but hope that the fix spreads throughout the school system.