Schools alone are not to blame for underachievement. The breakdown of the family, poverty, and decaying cities with eroding tax bases have made a good public school education nearly impossible in many parts of the country.

I think the key is the relationship between the superintendent and the school board.

If you want a good education, go to private schools. If you can't afford it, tough luck. You can go to the public school.

Behavior isn't something someone "has." Rather, it emerges from the interaction of a person's biology, past experiences, and immediate context.

An early attempt at education choice was charter schools. These were meant to attract the best and brightest students and provide them a level of education they often could not find in their local school districts. The problem is that, of the thousands of charter schools, many are outright failures.

I was home-schooled. My mom wasn't a fan of public school systems.