A Thouroughly Modern Education

How difficult it is for students today.
I remember going through my graduate studies, struggling to keep up with the latest research on a teeny, tiny aspect of mathematics related to soliton equations, and wondering how future generations would be able to reach the cutting edge of knowledge. Something would have to change in our education system to allow us to accelerate our learning - we could not possibly keep teaching the same material at high school maths for example, not with a tsunami of new knowledge being added.
I am beginning to now see that the question must indeed be tricky, because without directly addressing the issue, we are proceeding to simple force-feed students with information and coupling that with a constant barrage of assessments designed to select only the brightest. But are the results what we really want? Without giving them the time to digest or synthesize the facts - let alone enjoy the gaining of knowledge - we simply create highly educated zombies.