Customweld
WKR
Pretty solid statement. It took me a long time to realize that I pissed away my HS education. I had some cruddy teachers, but the blame lies squarely on myself for the majority of it.I don't think that any regulation or legislation or even an extra long Rokslide thread is going to fix education until we as a society, change our perception of school/education.
It should be that education is an opportunity to improve and build a better life.
Until you hear "I get to go to school" instead of "I have to go to school" I don't think we're going to see much improvement, regardless of teacher salaries, facilities, or daily schedules.
It's a culture thing, micro and macro.
Look at 3rd world countries where school is not available to everybody. Those folks value education at a much different level compared to the average American, who mostly take it for granted.
The economics and demographics of the nation also play a pretty important role. The Baby Boom generation is politically powerful in the number of votes and influence on policy. When their kids were in school, they voted for schools. When they aged out of having kids in schools, they voted for different priorities.
There are lots of inputs into this puzzle.