How would you recommend a soon-to-be-parent keep track of what's actually being taught in schools, before their kid is in a given year? I see a lot of headlines but have no idea how this is different or if I should be concerned.
talk to principals. i’ve talked to a few and heard pretty consistent responses. the early grades k-5 don’t really matter. middle school 6-8 you need to get into algebra so you are doing geometry in 9th grade. other honors programs for english need good grades but rarely require this kind of years in advance track / planning. but you have to make sure the high school you are targeting (when you get there) has the classes
Make friends with parents of kids who are a couple years older. We've gotten the runaround from the school and district. They are familiar with stalling tactics and they know how to deploy them effectively. They start out saying things that sound promising, then string you along for a year or two, blaming special circumstances. By the time you realize it was all a game, your kid is about to graduate from that school. If you had talked with other parents, you would know their playbook and how to politely but effectively push back.