Don't listen to the three I mentioned. Stay with NPR, PBS.

@Fernapple

A little cynical. We as educators try very hard to provide skill development and knowledge for allour students. I teach marginal populations and we go out of our way to give them the tools to succeed, regardless whether they are college bound or the work force

@t1nick There are certainly educator who do. But most of them are trapped into systems, politically designed, which prevent, and are to a large extent intended to prevent the growth of real education. Even where they themselves are not victims of bad education, unable to impart the real thing, because their own education was failed, and they have no concept of what an education could be.

For example I can only talk about here in the UK, but the system is designed so that science, for example ( I perhaps cherry pick the best example.) is taught only as a practical subject, with no mention of its philosophy or social meaning, or its history. And that is only for the most part taught in any meaningful way, as an elective subject in the later years of schooling. While religious education is taught from day one. No points for guessing who is behind that.

Not only that but to use R. Dawkins example, most children never recieve any explaination of even such a basic thing as evolutionary theory, because that is taught only at the higher levels to those children who elect to take biology at the 'advanced' levels. While very young children are taught , both, plant and animal anatomy, to a fairly advanced level, despite the fact that they are both much more difficult for the very young, not of any real practical value to all but a tiny number, instantly forgetable, and of no value in enhancing understanding. While evolutionary theory which is simple, can inspire, promotes understanding of the world, and makes the science of biology both understandable and interesting is left out, until too late.

History suffers the same treatment, while morallity, philosophy, art history, logic, science history, and social history, can go all but unmentioned. So that it is perfectly possible to go through the whole school system, and then through university, where you specialise, without ever having had a single meaningful lesson in any meaningful subject which would help you understand the world.

@Fernapple

I have been teaching high school and college level evolutionary theory for 33 years. It is part of our core standards in my state. It part of the national standards as well. Its mostly the Bible Belt states and so-called Red states that fall down in tbis area.

I will agree that the education of the children of the wealthy and wee to do is significantly different than the urban or rural child. A lot of it has to do with access to resources, curriculum, and equipment. Also familial structure has a tremendous role to play. Wealthy parents has different expectations than the economically challenged family. Not by desire or choice, but by necessity.

@t1nick Things may be a little better in the US it seems. But you still do not teach evolutionary theory until high school/college which I would agree with Dawkins is far too late.

@Fernapple

I was trained as a paleontologist in which evolution is a central part of the field. I teach without tip toeing around isdues.

@t1nick I am sure you do. And it sounds like things are very different in the states. Here in the UK we have a one size fits all education system which does not vary across the regions, and which was designed to a large extent by the church, which had a lot of control over government here in the past, and still has some.

@Fernapple

Parts of this country are like that unfortunaely