Ideally, high school should be just one step below college: this means the courses should be demanding BUT that the teachers should give the students the tools to meet those demands--and even teach them how to think and analyze. However, standard state 'certification' programs only exist to get $$$ from potential teaching candidates, not teach them how to think. Even their so-called "education courses" which are supposed to teach the future teachers how to instruct are mere collections of theories and potential situations that said candidates only deal with on paper and in an abstract manner. Then, their 'student teaching' is even a bigger joke, with 'student teachers' basically sitting in the class for 6-9 weeks observing most of the time, and they *maybe* actually take the class for 2-3 weeks, then somehow they're 'ready to be certified and to teach.' To top it off, the same potential candidates in ME took the certification test, with 60% failing, then of those 44% failed it again. That report on 20/20 clearly cited problems with basic English, math...and guess what...? They lacked the ability to think and analyze. If that's not scary enough, superintendents and administrators in all states routinely demand teachers "not fail" more than 25% of their students (it doesn't matter that the student was lazy and/or didn't do the work); usually, it even comes up in the interview if a teacher is "willing to pass students," especially if they are athletes in some sport. (I know, because I've had that question arise in at least 4 interviews.) What's the result of a uniform 'administration' throughout the States in public schools, that demand teachers either "water down their course content" and/or change grades capriciously? A high school curriculum that is largely boring, not demanding in any significant way (at the very least for 'regular' courses, where 'honors' or 'AP' courses aren't involved), with little "broading of a student's horizons" taking place. So basically, it's no wonder high school is too easy--because teachers that want to keep their jobs lower their standards b/c of pressure from the principals and superintendents--and the "administration" doesn't want to deal with the parents in any meaningful way (i.e., don't want to have to deal with a parent upset about "Johnny" earning the D or F on his report card that he earned all by himself and that they never talked to him about, nor bothered to call teachers at the school to regularly check on his progress).