What's the alternative?

Thomas Mellon, the father of Andrew, thought that public schools were full of low-class and low-aptitude people given to "vulgarity, disobedience and contempt for study." He also thought private schools were selling a service rather than providing a serious and disciplined apprenticeship for life. So what did he do? He built his own schoolhouse and employed a full-time teacher.

Much of what Thomas said is true today. Many states consistently lower their standards for passing national tests. Many elite colleges simply serve as stepping stones to higher pay without providing a better education. What alternative solutions do Americans have today? E-schools? Home schooling? Even home schooling has parameters set by state and local governments. We need schools with higher academic and moral standards than now allowed by law in the classrooms, in the textbooks and in the characters of our teachers. We need higher community involvement. We need freedom to establish schools with varying tracks for acquiring knowledge and skills - unequal in the task of serving different needs.