It has much to do with the fact that few high-school students still have to do serious research papers.

This post at Stanford’s College Puzzle blog by Michael Kirst incorporates a recent essay on that point by Will Fitzhugh. The sad truth is that few high-school teachers today have any interest in making students do major research papers. Reading and grading papers is so much work! Besides, few teachers are themselves really proficient writers, and if they turned back “graded” papers that missed obvious errors by the students, that could reflect badly on them. It’s a lose-lose situation.

Then the kids get into college — and little changes.