Things that have "died" or are dying this decade.......

Quality education.

I haven't been around long enough to speak on much more than the recent events within the education system, but what I have seen is heart-wrenching and will probably get me riled up enough to rant for a good half hour at least if I let myself.
Bush's "No Child Left Behind" was more than likely (at least I hope so) started with nothing less than good intentions. A throw-back to the days of Sputnik, when the US was terrified the Russians had beaten us to space, the education system pushed kids to their limit. As a result, some of the best developments made in science came out of that era. There was a push for alternative energy (that died shortly after the 70s oil crisis) that showed great promise, computers slowly became something that everyone could afford and did use, "green" technology actually became a used phrase and something desireable, and so much else. Unfortunately, NCLB has done nothing that will produce another generation of thinkers & innovators. If anything, it has post-poned it until those of us that realize it are old enough that people will listen to us.
The wording of NCLB specifies that if a state has standardized tests, usually administered at at least two different grade levels (often 4th/5th and 9th/10th), if a certain percentage of the children in a district pass, the state will receive more federal money to distribute amongst its schools. Great, right? More money means better paid teachers, better text books, better lab supplies, better desks maybe? Lots of cool stuff. Unfortunately, what has actually happened is most states have made an "easier" test as to skew their scores. Interesting trend? Despite the decline in difficultly of tests, scores have not improved. Basically, students are learning less but are still getting rewarded for it (by getting an A). So... what does a high school diploma mean anymore?
For that matter, what does a college degree mean anymore? The same trend has spread to the national level, the ACT standardized exam was redone within the last few years (it became slightly easier) yet the average test score has not improved. So now college professors are getting pressured by administrators.. if the students fail, they drop out and the college won't get their money.... My own college is discussing the possibility of extending a policy we have called "Freshman Forgiveness".. basically, if you get a D or lower within your first 32 credit hours, you can retake the class for a better grade, and the D will get expunged from your transcript. They're talking about extending it to cover the first 64 credit hours. Great, you get a second chance to memorize and regurgitate useless information. An A used to mean you were above average. Now, if a student doesn't get an A, they don't feel special. Well, maybe they should've studied harder.
What does this mean for those of us going out into the work force soon? We've gotten our college degrees, but unfortunately, a bunch of dumbasses have the same degree as us, are getting the same amount of recognition as us. What does this mean for the employers that are looking for quality candidates, but are surrounded by a sea of morons?