kids these days have a lot more to learn than when your humble elsewhen staff was in school. unfortunately, much of what is taught today is dross, the education that you receive varies hugely from state to state (the main reason no one wants nationwide standardized testing), and much of what will be truly useful in life is missing altogether.
we've often thought that a class or two on managing a household budget, wise use of credit, and basic retirement investments should be a requirement for all high schoolers.
politics & the secrets of social interaction - how to read body language, negotiation vs. fighting, salesmanship, avoiding drug use (including alcohol, gambling, and other dependencies) - would also all be useful in the real world.
and rhode island beat everyone else to the punch on our #3: they recently went beyond simple sex education and made learning about violence in dating a requirement.
we don't know about your high school/college years, but ours were rife with young women in destructive relationships from which they seemed unwilling or unable to escape. nice work, rhode island! now we just need to get every other state on board.
