I get the idea from having gone through the Texas public school system decades ago and then putting my two kids through it (although the second ended up in private school due to the decline). Beginning under Bush, it started going to shit and neither Perry nor Abbott have been an improvement.
In either case, it's clearly true - WWII was fought against fascism, not socialism, and the communists were our allies in that fight.
As for your vapid misconception of how education has changed over time - our current education system was designed in the late 19th century and has changed very little since. It mainly concentrates on the ability to consume and repeat information, while placing extremely little value on either comprehension or application.
This, of course, is why Americans are so overwhelmingly bad when it comes to navigating the cesspool that is the internet - you were raised to believe anything you read, and now finding things to read you already agree with is so easy, why bother expending even the slightest amount of effort making sure it isn't bullshit?