tl;dr - The author shows metrics that students disengage from learning and suggests that it's because of standardized testing and traditional educational environments.

I'm not sure I agree. Rigorous education on technical subjects requires testing and traditional classroom education with homework and drills. One of the reasons American education is so bad at math is because Americans (including parents!) are allergic to homework.

The author of this article puts all the blame on the method of schooling but totally ignores the role of parenting, cultural incentives, and technology. Just look at Asian countries who still teach in traditional ways that outperform our students by miles.

My hypothesis about why students get more disengaged as they get older is because we're moving students up grade levels who aren't prepared for it. When you get lost intellectually, you disengage. I teach at a large, non-elite, public university and that's what I see. Many of my students simply aren't prepared for college, but someone told them that they are and that they have to go.

My proposed solution is to stop pressuring schools to move students upwards who aren't ready. And stop telling everyone that a college education is necessary for life success. Some people are not wired to be academic and that's okay. They would be better served acquiring vocational skills on the job.