Root Causes: Nobody Wants the Real Answer About Sin

Jane Isley
Jun 4
2 min read

I’m currently working my way through a couple of books, and some online research, and a thought popped into my head, related to what I’m currently reading.

The Root of the Problem

I do this; we all do this. When we see a conflict, fight, disagreement, discord, etc., we are looking for the reason(s). I can look at an issue and list all sorts of reasons that either led to it or contributed to it, which causes it to be one giant, entangled snowball.

The example I will be using for this article is technology in the classroom, since it is the least likely to cause a public outcry.

Consistent use of technology and reliance on technology in schools has taken a massive hit on our students. This isn’t a post covid rant either; this trend has been going on for quite some time, but really ramped up in recent years. A 2025 article from ABC News uses the title “US students’ reading and math scores at historic lows: ‘Devastating trend’” to sum it up in a nutshell.

The Reasons That Get Blamed

If you read about the drop in reading, writing, and math skills, you will run into a lot of different reasons that are blamed. Technology is the leading contender, both what students use and work with in the class itself, as well as cell phones being allowed in schools.

Other reasons that have been blamed over the years are things like a lack of money in districts, one-parent homes, unmotivated students, bad teachers, good study habits not being taught, mental health, and chronic absenteeism, just to name a few.

But I find this next article's title to be the most telling and will ultimately go right to the point I am about to make, and that point isn’t just about education either. It just happens to be the safest example I can use.

“Test scores are down, but experts don’t know exactly why.”