I’d like to correct two errors in a May 2 letter of mine.

I mentioned that a recently introduced high school textbook describes all Trump voters as racist. That was imprecise. The textbook, “By the People: A History of the United States,” by James W. Fraser, describes “a significant number” of Trump supporters as racist.

I said that I support charter schools as an option when children aren’t learning in public schools. I meant to say I support vouchers. I realize that charter schools are a variant of public school.

Fountain Hills students do well. In this town we have bright kids, good teachers, involved parents and solid community support of schools. Unfortunately, many schools around the country aren’t doing well. The U.S. Department of Education has released its 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress. It shows that two-thirds of eighth graders are not proficient in reading and math. This is a massive failure.

Interestingly, the report shows that some of the states with the highest per-student spending have the lowest proficiency ratings. Why? We are creating a nation of functional illiterates. Who suffers the most because of this? The poor. Education has always been the ladder up for the poor. No longer.

We have reading instruction (whole word, sight word) that does not work. We have reform math, which promotes using a calculator to compensate for lack of basic skills. We have constructivism, where children are required to invent their own new knowledge instead of being given a broad foundation.

These bogus methods are forced on classroom teachers by higher-up “experts.” Why don’t we challenge this?

Why do we tolerate ineffectual public schools? Surely our nation would benefit if all students were lifted to their potential. This is an achievable goal. All we need is enough people demanding it.