Raytown High School - Ramizzou Yearbook (Raytown, MO)

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American institutions have tradi- tionally offered people security, but in the last few years our faith in their ability to help us has diminished. During the summer .of 1983, the National Commission on Educa tion reported that American educational standards had declined to a dangerous level. Area schools struggled to counteract the report. Raytown High School initiated a peer counseling program in 1984 to deal with the frustrations of young people trying to cope with personal problems and maintain acceptable grades. The Missouri Basic Essential Skills Test became a measuring rod to determine a studenths advancement. Raytown developed a more stringent attendance policy, and Truman High School hired security guards to patrol school corridors. Parents accused teachers of not doing their jobs when SAT scores declined, but teachers returned the attack, saying students had difficulty learning in a home environ- ment where standards of achievement are neither encouraged nor expected. Teachers also blamed the influence of TV, cars, and jobs for lack of student interest in learning. Enrollment in difficult classes declined in many schools, and the Kansas City school district dropped classes such as physics and advanced foreign languages from many school curriculums. Crowded classes, low teacher pay, and lack of skilled math and science teachers were also blamed by the National Commis- sion and local educators. Because solutions take time and are difficult to initiate, Americans are frustrated over the failure of one of their most trusted institutions, public education. Public schools are not the only targets of attack in the 803. llReagon- omicsf a jobless rate of 1070 and iiDea th of the American Dream ht ca used dissatisfaction with the government. American voters, feeling they had no choices or that their choices didnlt matter, declined to vote in local elections and anticipated the 1984 presidential election with boredom. Young people, frustrated with government, or caught up in the hhmeth attitude of the 805 avoided registering for the draft. Editorials speculated about the loss of respect for government since the Watergate era, and the only cause Americans seemed capable of rallying around was removal of James'Watt as Secretary of Interior. t eiyynxmm -

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