Not to be crass, but anyone who hasn't spent time in a high school in the past five years really has no right having an opinion on this question. Period. And I mean spent real time in a high school, working with kids, working with adminstration, and working within the confines of the laws established to regulate what happens in high schools. Everyone else is just showing off their personal biases and beliefs. ... sorry, rant over.
I hear you CZ, and the whole problems with today's youth can NOT be totally laid at the feet of the education system. It is most Americans fault. We don't go to municipal functions to try to make a difference, we just piss & moan what's wrong. I myself is included, as I didn't start getting involved in these matters till my late 40s. I bitch about reality TV, but back in my youth through middle age, sports (participating/spectator) partying, & chasing skirts was my priorities!
Later it was family, which should be the main priority, but in today's world family takes more time in that kids can't ride there bikes to little league, parents have to be at every activity their children are involved with. In the 60s my mom and God Father (my dad died when I was 6) didn't come to every game I played in. Even in high school they only came to the rivalry and important/playoff games.
So I am guilty too, in that I had trivial priorities in my life that kept me from contributing to society!
But my God, the youth today don't know diddly squat about American History. I work with mostly kids, their ages are 22, 25, 3 @ 26 28, and 5 in their early 30's. I will point out to them when the date is the anniversary of D-Day, Pearl Harbor, Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon, or explaining Veterans Day, (the end of WWI, signed on the 11th hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11th month). Everything including movies are irrelevant if it happened before they were born.
Not only do they not care, the disrespect they show me is horrible! We don't care old man is the usual response.
The bright spot are 2 brothers who are from Iraq, they love the USA, they have been with me to rocket launches and air shows, they want to be American more than some Americans!
In closing, we the people are not doing enough.