Hmm, sounds more like la-la-hands-in-the-ears denial.
It's not just schools. The tide's have turned in general.
Before the 17th century Britain wasn't much. Afterwards, it was the world's superpower (with France by the side).
Before the 20th century, the US wasn't much. After WWI, WWII especially, the exchanged the role of superpower with Britain. Now they're falling by the wayside too. It's not something that happens overnight, might take several decades, but it's not like the world looks to the US as it once did anymore (or will again: those things are not normally reversible).
It's also worth noting that the British made a deliberate decision to not challenge America's ascendency to dominance. I think it's fairly obvious how that decision has benefited both nations.
I don't think the same can't be said about Sino-American affairs today. I worry about that.
There isn't a national superpower anymore, and that may be a good thing. No one can predict the future, but I can't see any nation ever being as globally relevant as the U.S. was in 1945-95. That wasn't just the peak of U.S. power but also the peak of nation-state power. If I'm right, no national government will ever attain it again. Not the European Union (technically a multinational government), not China, and definitely not India. I think China will be doing very well economically in 2100 (and people will be surprised to learn about the extremely widespread 20th- and early-21st-century Chinese poverty) but I think the influence of national governments will have waned by then.
I'm actually pretty bullish about the long-term American future, because I think the global trend is not only positive but going to accelerate in the next 20 years. I think the Bush years were a nadir, and I think we're in a long U-shaped valley, but I think the 2020s will be slightly better than the 2010s, which will shape up to be better than the 2000s were. "Decline" for us is going to look like it did for the British: the average Briton is still a hell of a lot better off (happier, wealthier, and healthier) in 2012 than in 1900. People don't actually think about national dominance much when they don't have it, and by 2050, I think that concept itself will be pretty well outmoded.
To put it frankly, I don't care if the U.S. is geopolitically #1 or #14 in 2050, but I hope they've done something about cancer.
It's not just schools. The tide's have turned in general.
Before the 17th century Britain wasn't much. Afterwards, it was the world's superpower (with France by the side).
Before the 20th century, the US wasn't much. After WWI, WWII especially, the exchanged the role of superpower with Britain. Now they're falling by the wayside too. It's not something that happens overnight, might take several decades, but it's not like the world looks to the US as it once did anymore (or will again: those things are not normally reversible).