"Gratitude is the lifeblood of healthy schools and civic institutions, writes Rick Hess, being very Old School. Despite " classroom materials that depict Thanksgiving as just another evil exercise in settler colonialism," he writes, most teachers think schools should teach that the U.S. is "a fundamentally good country. " And they want to "teach students to question the policies of their nation’s government." That's right, Hess writes. Students should count our blessings a

The world offers "beauty, progress and opportunity," not just "hardship and injustice."

Teachers are seeing more middle and high school students who lack basic reading skills.

Streamline high school course requirements.

It's easier to apply to college, as less-selective schools try to "put butts in the seats." But are high school graduates prepared?

Corporate blather won't restore faith in higher education, argues an English professor whose department may be merged into Human Narratives and Creative Expression.