U.S. education spending tops global list, study shows

That's certainly part of it, but I think the bigger problem is the shift away from education toward indoctrination. Teachers need to teach English, math, science, history, and civics, until students are actually proficient at these essential subjects.

That could be why most of our STEM educated workers are of foreign origins. If you have kids or grandchildren and closely review their curriculum and methods of delivery, it becomes apparent what the problem is.

First, Japan's school system and its students are very disciplined and performing well is demanded by families as well as the school. Second, teachers (and I taught 9 years) in some school districts are protected too much. This is the one profession that if you can't perform well as a teacher you need to be let go, but that doesn't happen. Third, some parents just don't give a crap and they do not set expectations for their children. I taught at the public school and private. Here is the difference, in the public school, I taught 130 kids, during parent teacher conferences I had maybe 70 parents come or make some sort of contact if they could not make it. In the private school I had every parent show up or call me if they could not make it. Schools in the U.S. have become more of a social thing for kids than institutions of learning.

Additionally, I think our country should open up more white collar fields to folks that only have a high school degree. Not all the white collar fields that require a college degree, really need one........employers are only using it to screen.

Very true. Take the case of supervisors at the plant I work at. Trying to convince an HR "professional" that you don't need a 4 year degree to be a supevisor in manufacturing was like pulling teeth. Then we wonder why our new hire supervisors are completely ineffective. You hire kids from school with degrees in underwater basket weaving and no manufacturing experience and put them in charge of hourly guys with many years experience doing the job and wonder why all hell breaks loose. Trying to get some hr people to see that military experience as an NCO is worth much more than a degree in this case. For jobs like mine in engineering and metallurgy a degree is required. Straight supervision of hourly? No way, not needed.

Scary but true.