Dumbed-Down Curricula:

"A “dumbed-down curriculum” means a course of study that has been oversimplified to the point where it no longer challenges students intellectually.

Usually it implies:

• Lower academic standards
  Content is made easier so more students can pass.

• Less depth, less rigor
  Complex concepts are removed, nuance disappears, and everything is reduced to bite-sized, superficial points.

• More focus on memorization than thinking
  Students learn what to think, not how to think.

• Avoidance of difficult topics
  Anything requiring sustained attention or critical reasoning is minimized.

• Teaching to the lowest common denominator
  The curriculum is shaped so that no student struggles, but the capable students are underchallenged."