The Commoner Syndrome

Book excerpt: In the early 1990’s, the U.S. government set down the goal that American children would be number one in the world in mathematics and science by the year 2000. As of this writing, we have not come close to this goal, but rather have slipped further. Reformation of the education system does not seem to be working in improving grades. Meanwhile, many high-tech industries cannot find enough workers with the required skills. These are manifestations of the commoner syndrome. Many bright students fall victim to an invisible but powerful force holding them back. The first step to dealing with the commoner syndrome is to explore and understand it. That is the purpose of this book.