This statement could be flipped though - why should those who never leave academia determine appropriate curriculum for basic, real world education?
Some of the most useless people in a real world application are those that have been a part of academia for decades. How many times did all of us sit in certain classes and directly ask “when are we going to use this?”
Not to mention the toxic elements of education that caused this reaction originated from radicals in academia 20-30 years ago.
Is it really such a bad idea for parents to be heavily involved in curriculum selection? They’re more exposed to the business world than teachers. They likely know more life and employment skills than teachers. For instance, If I were on a curriculum board, I’d advocate for mandatory financial education (particularly in relation to loan interest/debt/college expenses), shop and woodworking classes, and civics classes that have more emphasis on American values and Constitutional education.
Does that sound so bad?