To my eyes schooling and academia have been trending toward "passing everyone" and not so much about educating and getting the kids to reach their academic pote

To my eyes schooling and academia have been trending toward "passing everyone" and not so much about educating and getting the kids to reach their academic potential. What we vulgarly call "dumbing down" of things. It looks like it dovetails with Bush's policies, or it could be part of a wider societal trend precipitated by mass/crass media, the emergence of texting as an acceptable mode of communication as well as terseness being seen as "alpha" (Jobs and Bezos being examples). Presumably society will adapt and us adapt back. On the other hand, I will look forward to the comfort of not having to hear adolescent takes on Nietzsche or Kant.