Signs of 'declining confidence'

A couple of months ago in The Oklahoman I had a column headlined "Oklahomans losing confidence in schools." Today in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard professor Paul E. Peterson tells us what the public thinks of public schools.

It's little wonder the public is becoming uneasy. High-school graduation rates are lower today than they were in 1970. The math and reading scores of 17-year-olds have been stagnant for four decades.

You cannot fool all the people all the time, President Lincoln said. And when it comes to student learning, the public seems beyond deceit.