Indifference. This is more of a societal problem. However, young people set trends. Young people make themselves. Sure, parents and teachers have great influence, but there comes a point in a teenager's life when they need to begin taking responsibility for themselves. If this point is never reached, we end up with the fifth grader cited above. Parents in homes certainly contribute to a student not finding any reason to study, but when schools further contribute to this by allowing circumstances like the one cited in post #2, something must be done. There should be standards and benchmarks of expected behaviors and abilities. And if students can make the mark, they should repeat the grade or exam until they do. Learning is not difficult in this world, there are many ways to learn. If students took the responsibility to do what they are asked, amazing things would happen in education.