Several years ago, ABC had a story called “Stupid in America” (Google it for the link) that highlighted why the public school system is appallingly incompetent at educating students. The upshot is, if competition were allowed, and parents could use the tax money assigned to their student to send their school wherever they want, then bad schools would be shut down, bad teachers would be fired, and real learning could take place.
I (would like to) think most parents and teachers want students to do well, but there are no real consequences if they don’t. So many students are promoted even though if they’re just a warm body in a seat, teachers have to “teach to the test” and can’t employ innovation in the classroom or any real discipline, principals don’t back up teachers and don’t stand up to parents, and school board members are more worried about getting reelected than challenging parents to challenge their kids. Kids who are too lazy/unmotivated to do schoolwork can just mark time until they “graduate” and if they get tired of being poor, they just start squeezing out kids for the welfare money. This society of entitlement is a big problem – public assistance was never meant to be lived off of.
Oh, and teachers’ unions get paid to exist by teachers, who don’t have the option not to join. They are an industry unto themselves (like the testing industry – google “Todd Farley, “Making the Grade: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industry”. They have done some good but they have too much power.
And yes, there are too many piddly little towns and school districts in NJ.
(let the flaming begin)