american high schools aren't proper schools in the sense that they educate their students for life ahead, they're day care. they encourage rote memorization and regurgitation of data instead of critical thinking and processing of the world around us. if you memorize and regurgitate to a passable standard (which is set quite low, at least in the rural public school i attended) they shake your hand and send you out on your way.

i think proper college reform needs to start lower, and make proper adults out of our high school grads instead of requiring four years of paid-for university to accomplish that. unfortunately, i'm no expert and i don't have the foggiest idea where you'd start with that.