Public Education

The educational "experts" and politicians have take a good concept from the 18th century, and the system/organization of the 20th century and driven public education to the saturation point. We are now precipitating home schooling, and charter schools.
In economic jargon we have reached the point of diminishing returns and we are fast approaching the point were we will be subtracting returns. In short we have pushed the current structure of public education to capacity. In leadership terms public school are suffering from transactional leadership and thinking. If we only add this, then will get that. If we do more of the same we will get more of the same.
Has any one besides me think it is time to transform the system? Has anyone besides me think that raising standards may be setting expectations to high? The people holding power and making decisions for the most part did not have to meet today's standards.
I am all for learning and quality teaching, but today's efforts are not about understanding or knowing they are about answering test questions. No Child Left behind is built on the false premise that all children start at the same place. So now there is talk of evaluating teachers on progress on the tests. Great motivator for teaching to the test and not the child.
Today we supposedly know a lot about technology, learning and well being; however, we don't apply it to schools. People learn better when they have periods of diversion - exercise, meditation, art, singing etc. Student's retention is better in year around schools than the current nine month calendar. Playing to people interests and strengths is more productive than pounding on weaknesses.
In the last century they tried to teacher proof the curriculum; today they are trying to teacher proof the curriculum with standards and tests.
Truly, if there were no schools, is this the best we could come up? I don't think so.
However, my prediction is that things won't change, and I'll be listening to the same rhetoric for the next ten years. Schools are failing. Teachers are to blame. Its the parents. It costs too much. Its the unions' fault. Those teachers need to be held accountable.
Accountability is a funny thing. We should only hold people accountable for what they can control not what they can not. It seems that we often hold those accountable that have no power and those with power we give passes and excuses.