The U.S. Department of Education states that “about 130 million American adults (54% of those aged 16-74) read below a 6th-grade level.” The fact that this is true is a reflection that America is not now, and never has been, the greatest nation in the world, and most definitely is not on track to become the greatest nation in the world. What could be said is that America is the richest nation in the world, but the wealth of America clearly favors the elite and disfavors those who are typically ill-educated and live in enclaves of poverty and lack of opportunity.
The fact that so many Americans are functionally illiterate is a great disappointment to many but nevertheless is a true reflection that rather than putting forth the necessary effort to see that those that are the most impoverished are provided with good opportunities, so created from attending schools of superior education and teachers that are motivated to see their students succeed, has instead decided to leave that alone, which begs the question, as to why?
The reason why so many Americans are ill-educated really comes down to the fact that in this capitalistic society and the government that runs this nation, they actually prefer to have an underclass of underperforming people, because those that are relatively ignorant, are the very same that are easier to trick, to manage, and to exploit, because their lack of intelligence and foresight preordains them to have to kowtow to those in authority so as to get important things such as their food stamps, medical benefits, Section 8 housing, Earned Income Credit and so on. In other words, the governance of this nation, as well as many of its most powerful and connected mega corporations, prefers an ignorant population because it allows them to exploit such for their own exclusive benefit.
So too, in consideration that America acts and behaves like an empire, it is critical for the success of the same, that there be sacrificial cannon fodder readily available in case World War III, occurs, and the best people to sacrifice are those that have no position in the governance of this nation because they are essentially voiceless and powerless, and thus the loss of their lives, will not hurt those that are the elites of this nation, who will appreciate their blood sacrifice so that they themselves can continue to acquire more wealth and more power.
If this nation truly wanted to be great, it would intuitively recognize that the more educated and more knowledgeable its population was, in whole, the better it would be for the nation, because it is knowledge, along with some necessary moral guidelines, that permits nations to prosper in a way that the population, collectively, benefits from all the accouterments developed and thus obtained. On the other hand, those at the highest echelons of power have a strong desire to keep exploiting those that are ignorant because it puts more money directly into their pocket, and also permits the governance of this nation to assert itself against the underclass so as to keep them in line, which signifies to those of the middle class and just above, that they need be on their best behavior or else what they have and the position that they are in, would be next to be taken away.