Public Education...More of the same

In a recent op-ed piece for the New York Times, editor Bob Herbert bemoans the state of public education in America. Rather than suggesting that we try something different, however, Bob suggests that we throw more money into and draft stricter standards for this failed endeavor.

This is simply naive. Public education sucks. It has always sucked. It always will suck. Specifying higher standards and recruiting better teachers does nothing to address the inherent flaws in the system. They're band-aids at best, counterproductive at worst.

I present to you these questions for research and/or reflection:

1. On what premise is the assumption based that everyone is entitled to a free education, and does that premise fit within a framework of personal liberty and individual responsibility?

2. Is it possible for government-controlled education to be anything but a tool for the indoctrination of "good citizens", subservient to the will of the State, taught to revere those in power? If so, how?

3. What would be the effect of the abolition of publicly funded education and a return to private education? Assuming, of course, that taxes used to fund public schools would remain in taxpayer pockets, rather than being redirected to other dubious endeavors.