Blaming teachers,curriculum has never resulted inany city school system reversing the trend because the core cause is not correctable by teachers of student age. The core cause is impaired parenting practices. Children affected arrive at school never having seen a parent reading books,newspaper etc,one parent may be missing from their life etcthey arrive for their first day with little or no value for reading,writing,arithmatic,authority fiqures,discipline or other opportunities offered.Every day they return to the home envirionment. Affected parents need help with their parental practices.Our schools must turn this affected parental practices problem over to others who can work with these adults. Our Public Schools have accepted billions of dollars in grants for consultants,millions of dollars have been given by tax payers for new programs,Superintendents have been hired and fired,book companies have become wealthy but the falling grade level achievement increases because we fail to address the cause which lies outside of our Public School System.Merit pay programs for rewarding and punishing teachers have never worked anywhere in over 50 years .We need our schools to turn the problem over to Community Leaders in Business,Advocacy Groups,Social Program,Corrections and others who work with adults-Politicans who legislate programs affecting adults.In 50 years we have fallen far behind other industrialized nations in graduating engineers etc. Half our students cannot compete in our own Country for jobs that allow,health care,retirement savings,family vacations,sending children to college etc.We need to get help to people with impaired parenting practices.