Originally posted here by Aspman
In the UK anyway (and I doubt the US is different these days) Teachers have NO flexibility on the classroom. Children are not at school to learn, they are at school to pass exams.

This is why you now have lots of highly qualified useless graduates.
I live in New York and we have these tests called the Regences. Only usefull inside of New York and thats all the teachers teach. Electives (for the most part) didn't have them, so the teachers taught what they thought was usefull.

I think the majority of textbooks out there are bogus anyway, I for the love of God don't understand why in grade 9 here in Canada I had to learn the stupid American Civil War, why? what the hell did this squabble have to do with my Country anyway, well we learned it, I surely do know who Stonewall Jackson is, and I know what the Merrimac is, but why is that part of my curriculum for back then.Who writes these textbooks anyways.
If its a world history class I can see why (I had to learn the French civil war in 10th). If it was a(n) american history class, thats just because canada hasn't contributed anything