"There are no more Chatauqua societies as there once were in towns across America to make learning part of the fabric of American life. News broadcasts have been reduced to fluff, while spelling bees, history bees, once social events for the entire town, have gone the way of the buggy whip. Towns with a preponderance of retired people vote down tax referendums that would fund their schools."
When I came to the states, in 63...and for about ten years after...schools (at least in Calif) were very different from what they are now. I remember that both in Middle School and High School, the school kept going until 6:00 every day. After regular classes, there was choir, bridge club, photography club, chess club, tennis, volleyball, and on, and on, and on. Just a normal public school. It was also the case then that parents had a lot more time to volunteer in local schools. Because I have a very flexible schedule, I have been volunteering in the public schools for the last six years. Unfortunately, not too many adults have that luxury. So there's this to add to the mix, adults are too overworked to participate in schools or even know what goes on there.
I agree with everything you say...and I wonder whether one way for the social-justice-left movement to accomplish something would not be to enter the schools en masse (as volunteers or teachers) and influence what the kids are learning and thinking. This would be one form of revolution from below.
I also think it's time for a consumer's strike.
Joanna