Thoughts on Improving Public Education

We as Americans tend to look only at capitalist solutions to problems. Standardized testing is the equivalent of looking at a company's bottom line. School choice is obviously capitalist. My school district has apparently started selling advertising space targeting parents. The problem with these approaches is that universal education, by its very nature is a socialist institution. Unfortunately, the word "socialism" might as well be banned by the FCC, the way people use it. However, a well educated populace is VITAL to a healthy democracy, so, despite it's socialist nature, I would argue that public education is more important to democracy than is the free market.

If we can get over thinking of all things socialist as being of the devil, and embrace the socialist nature of public education, it might lead to improvements which are more harmonious with what our democracy needs from public education.