Parents didn't want schools to tell kids to guess at words instead of sounding them out. It happened because people weren't paying attention. Parents didn't want schools to hold back our highest achieving students to artificially manufacture equal outcomes. It happened because people weren't paying attention. Parents didn't want schools to ban middle school algebra. It happened because people weren't paying attention. Until we start paying attention, anti-excellence ideologues like these will continue to pop up, lowering standards, punishing high achievers, and making our schools weaker. We need to demand better for our kids.