[yesenadam]

So clearly throwing money at ‘public education’ isn’t working

I wasn't aware that money was being 'thrown at' public education anywhere. However you define that exactly. But it sounds, the way you describe it, like stopping 'throwing money' is part of the solution? i.e. spending even less on public schools? How much is spent anyway, compared with some other important things the US spends money on, like, say, invading/attacking other countries? Or keeping so many people locked up?

[jelliclesfarm]

California spends between 50-70k per prisoner.(a lot of it goes to pensions for the prison guard union. Google it. Spine tingling. But then there are less of them than students and kids are more reliable on the rolls and increasing every year..and hence only averages to 10k/year) Most of them products of the public school system. That’s one way to look at it.

Public education isn’t free. Someone is paying for it. But public education isn’t accountable to the people paying for it.

Here is an extension of the thought experiment:

If public school education is parent directed/funded and ALL higher education/university/research/vocational studies after passing a very tough high school diploma is absolutely free, how do you think we would all fare as a society? Equal opportunity to all who have cleared their high school exams with flying colours.