Short Answer:

            Institute Vouchers.  Reintroduce Discipline (Yes, this includes Paddling).  Eliminate Tenure.  Return to the basics by stressing Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic (Stop indoctrinating children with Liberalism). 

Long Answer:

            Over the last several years, the United States has been pouring increasingly more money into the Sieve that is Public Education, only to have standards, scores, and graduation rates drop.  Money is not the answer; Capitalism is.  
            One of the first things we need to do is adopt a Voucher System, whereby a dollar figure is attached to each student.  A school that performs well will attract more students and gain more monies.  A failing school will either improve, or it will close.  Reward success while punishing failure; this is the same system that has been applied to all uniquely American endeavors. As a consequence, The United States has become the Greatest Country in the history of humanity – our educational system would achieve no less success.
            As part and parcel to this System of Vouchers is the reintroduction of Discipline into Public Education.  While it is not, nor should it ever be the responsibility of the Federal Government to raise your children, it is its responsibility to provide a safe and orderly place for their elucidation – discipline can provide that structure.  Mandate paddling and remove any children who misbehave repeatedly.  If a parent disagrees with corporal punishment, they can either home-school their children, or simply teach them to behave properly.  American Taxpayers are devoting too much money toward education to have it subverted by unruly behavior.
        Assuming that the first two goals have been accomplished, another object we need to bring about is the elimination of Tenure.  Much like welfare recipients who never seek to better themselves because of the security provided by the absence of abject failure, tenured teachers and professors are free to live an existence of mediocrity, content that their positions are secure.  If we take away this security, they will all seek to become better at their profession, if for no other reason than to protect their jobs.  At the same time, (as a function of the “free market”) a performance-based pay scale will naturally develop to provide extra incentive and reward for those teachers who excel at their chosen profession.
        (For Clarification – I am not insinuating that all teachers are slothful, or that they should bear the entire burden of responsibility for the school’s/students’ performance; the teachers and students share this responsibility.  I believe that failing/disruptive students should be disciplined and/or removed.  To eradicate tenure without introducing discipline would unfairly punish good teachers, whose only crime was to teach in the wrong building or district.  As a result, I would never favor the removal of tenure in legislation unless Discipline was firmly and clearly attached.)

            Another goal should be to return to the basics of education.  Children should be taught the mechanics necessary to perform Math, utilize English, understand Science, grasp History, and appreciate Civics.  In years past, children were taught how to think, not what to think.  It is the responsibility of parents to instill beliefs and philosophies.  It is the responsibility of Public Education to teach cognitive thought and reasoning – not instill liberal dogma (or any other political tenets for that matter).  I am young enough to recall being taught about “Earth Day”, “Recycling”, “Conservation”, and other such liberal fluff when I was in elementary school.  I have no problem with teaching these concepts – I do however have a problem with indoctrinating children to accept these concepts as a system of belief/faith.  A child can be taught what Recycling is without being told that they must practice this “environmental sacrament” in order to “save the planet”.

Andrew Clack