> US public schools actually get pretty damn good results by worldwide standards. This is in spite of the system, instead of because of it. Some people were go

> US public schools actually get pretty damn good results by worldwide standards. This is in spite of the system, instead of because of it. Some people were going to do well regardless - because they were well-nourished as children, grew up in stable homes, etc. Most the rest are good worker-bees, or good candidates for filling the prisons (a make-work program). > I think the biggest problem with attempts to "revolutionize" US education is that nobody has identified an actual problem it has. I think John Gatto [1] pointed out that "Nothing of value to the individual happens by force" - maybe the quote is in one of his books. Gatto's essay on retiring, "I Quit, I Think" [2], precisely describes professional teachers' dilemma. [1] http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/ http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/ [2] https://web.archive.org/web/20100309061700/http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/prologue2.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20100309061700/http://www.johnta...