<p>ecape - your socialist vision sounds nice in theory, but it doesn't work in fact. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't spend money on troubled schools, but the most important factor in education is an appreciation for, and a culture that inculcates, a love of learning. This is of course disturbing to many - who would like to believe in the simple shibboleth of more money equals better outcomes. By way of anecdotal example, the District of Columbia spends far more per pupil and over the years has received far more money per pupil than its suburban counterparts in Fairfax and Montgomery counties, among the best systems in the nation. Yet their performance is abysmal - the schools are not run for the children but rather are a kind of employment agency of last resort. That is a cultural factor, and a disturbing one. Add more teachers to get the teacher/student ratio down? Sounds nice, doesn't it? Try that in DC (as they have in California) and you get worse results? Why? These school districts can't attract enough teachers to pass teacher cert exams (typically, thanks to your friendly teachers unions and the civil rights lobby, set at an 8th grade level of competence) as it is, and they have to go hire more? Throwing more unqualified teachers at kids doesn't help. Education isn't at one level any different than business, medicine, and other fields, those who are more competent and skilled help others learn better. So massively increase the pay scale so qualified teachers come to these districts? Please, the culture of non-learning and parental neglect and academic indifference and physical and security threats is so dismal they aren't going to attract bright people, even with double the salary. The answer lies in changing the culture, and to do that, by gosh, to the utter disdain of the NEA and we can't be judgmental liberals, we are going to have to stigmatize the deadening cultural wasteland that is causing these problems. And this might offend some groups, including some minority groups. Don't get me wrong, lets spend the money where it makes sense, but lets realize the real elephant in the room - it is a cultural problem of the highest order.</p>