OP has a number of interesting points; however, I would suggest he's also _probably_ myopic in his views on education. I think the reason that the post feels a

OP has a number of interesting points; however, I would suggest he's also _probably_ myopic in his views on education. I think the reason that the post feels all over the board to me is because of the complexity of the situation. The system is made up of teachers, administrators, boards, parents, materials, and (most importantly) kids. Fixing one doesn't fix them all. It gets even more complex when one looks at the socioeconomic situations of the systems. Teachers are not in it for the money. The majority (nix that...the good ones I know) want to make a difference in society and the world around them. That being said, I'd love it if they were making more. The socioeconomic ties can NOT be underplayed. Give every kid in a poor section of town an ipad and I would guarantee you that some would be sold, a lot would get busted, etc. OP stated that "parents today are often left in the dark as to their child’s progress". This can be true. A lot of parents I see also can not be bothered to lift a finger to check up on how their kids are doing. As a part of the system, EVERY piece must be willing to step up. Only if most of the parts are strong can the system deal with weakness in other components. Let's say a quarter of the parents are doing a crappy job. The teachers of those students have to work extra hard to engage those kids. Those kids have to work extra hard to push themselves. Got some crappy teachers? Then the parents and kids need to work extra hard. tl;dr: it's a complex system and every part must improve and take responsibility.