> Finland, like most countries, spends less per student on education than the U.S. It seems to me that a lot of "education" money in the US is spent on things

> Finland, like most countries, spends less per student on education than the U.S. It seems to me that a lot of "education" money in the US is spent on things that benefit students, yet that benefit is indirect and could be done by more efficiently by other agencies. Lunch programs, nurses, athletics, and bus service come to mind. A welfare state with less hungry kids, universal healthcare, good parks, and good public transportation doesn't need to have schools pay for all of the above and more.