Did you know that school children in the United States continue to perform below at least ten other nations.  The focus was on changing the curriculum, teaching strategies, and style of instruction.  But recent studies show that the focus should be on the is the quality of the teacher.  In other words, we should be hiring the good ones and firing the bad ones.  This is not that easy, considering that tenured teachers are very will protected by their unions.  On one occasion my son was in an English class and the teacher said, "don't f**k with me."  I was called by the department chair and informed of the situation.  There was absolutely no disciplinary action taken against the teacher for this unacceptable comment.  That tells the teachers that they can do and say whatever they want without consequences.  They can treat your children however they want, bully, humiliate, or treat unfairly, and nothing will happen to them.  What does that tell our children?  What lessons do they learn?  If children felt that they were in a place where they were truly cared about, learning will happen.  If more teachers were willing to accommodate all children, learning will happen.  If teachers were willing to accept differences regarding learning styles and build on the strengths of each student, learning will happen.  If teachers were willing to create a psychologically safe environment with an approachable teacher, learning will happen.