Public Education - Why It Sucks, Who's to Blame, and What Can Be Done to Fix It

Here's the official place to hash it out. I think we all agree that public education in America doesn't work very well, but we disagree over why that is. There are four usual theories:

1) Teachers care and students want to learn, but there simply aren't enough resources being employed.

2) Teachers and/or adminstrators are the problem. The ones who do start out with good intentions get ignored, corrupted, or burned out.

3) Families are the problem. Parents don't reinforce values at home anymore. Kids show up to school lazy and disresprectful, causing even the best teacher to give up.

4) It's a problem of society as a whole with corrupted school boards made worse by illiterate parents.

Choose your opinion, state why you feel that way, and suggest possible improvements.

Remember: be polite, take the time to make your case, link to only respected sources, and no hitting below the belt!