The Dumbing Down of America & Education System Corruption - Spencer Taylor

Filmmaker Spencer Taylor investigates how standardized testing, bureaucracy, and ideology have transformed childhood through expert interviews and personal stories, while revealing alternatives that restore curiosity, creativity, and hope. Learn more about Spencer's mission at https://www.deathofrecess.com/ Schools are failing. Graduates can’t do math. For 12th graders (high school seniors, class of 2024): In the 2024 NAEP results (released 2025), average math scores hit their lowest level since the current test began in 2005, with 45% scoring below basic (up from 40% in 2019) — meaning nearly half lack fundamental math skills. Only 22% scored proficient or above (down from 24% in 2019). A major disconnect exists between graduation and skills: U.S. high school graduation rates hover around 85-87%, yet recent data shows 20-25% of high school graduates are functionally illiterate — able to read simple texts like menus but struggling with longer or complex material. Broader adult literacy is grim: In 2023-2024 surveys, 21% of U.S. adults are illiterate, and 54% read below a 6th-grade level — contributing to economic costs up to $2.2 trillion annually and linking to higher unemployment and other issues. Yet strangely, the average high school GPA goes up every year which reveals a grade inflation without corresponding skills. Most high schools have done away with exit exams in order to just move the students out of their system. Gen Z as potentially the first generation in over a century to score lower than parents on cognitive measures like attention, memory, reading comprehension, and problem-solving. America spends more than a trillion on education each year. Gov spends 1.7 trillion a year on education which is about 5.5% of total GDP. 0:00 - Intro to After Skool and Uncommon Knowledge 10:40 - Spencer's 10 year journey investigating Corruption in Education 17:00 - Shocking statistics 26:45 - State run schools vs Homeschooling 29:00 - History of the American School System 36:00 - Producing resentful, brainwashed graduates 42:00 - Teacher's unions - Corruption at the highest level 1:05:30 - Schools that actually work 1:09:40 - Where is the money actually going? 1:12:15 - Fixing the system