> Really it comes down to parent pressure to make the kid do things that they don't really want to by convincing them it's important.
The problem is that a large percentage of the stuff that's taught in schools in fact IS more or less useless in later life, except for very specific career paths. Parents know this and pass on this to their kids.
I'm not sure I agree with this. What percentage do you reckon, and what stuff?
You say useless later in "life", but then mention specific career paths. Is education useless if it isn't directly applicable to a currently occupied career? What if they change careers?
It takes a lot more than career specific education to mould a good member of society.
(Disclaimer: I'm German (from Bavaria, other German countries have different education profiles!) and have passed the Abitur exam, which allows me to enter any university course)
Classic example of what most students think as "unneeded" is chemistry, physics and mathematics - while a solid knowledge foundation is certainly required in later life, more detailed knowledge (i'm looking at you, mathematical analysis) may be entirely unneeded if one decides to pursue a career in e.g. history, social studies or other non-math/tech-oriented courses.
On one side we Germans split up our students way too soon (after 4th grade in Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium), but on the other side we split them up too late... it's a highly complex issue.
The problem is that a large percentage of the stuff that's taught in schools in fact IS more or less useless in later life, except for very specific career paths. Parents know this and pass on this to their kids.