Why do our schools do so poorly?

John Hood Points out that it's not just private vs. public, it's competition vs. no competition. He summarizes what the "Civilized World" does. Interesting, the Obami want us to have (inferior on outcomes) European health care but they'll die at the barricades to protect us from (superior on the outcomes) European education policy.

The Choice of the World [John Hood]

Periodically I like to peruse the book of education data published annually by theOrganization for Economic Cooperation and Development. While the education establishment often cites international competition as a reason for American taxpayers to fork over more and more money, rarely do our educrats express any real curiosity about why students in other developed countries so often outperform American students, particularly at the high-school level.

It certainly isn't a product of greater public investment. America spends more tax dollars per pupil on education than almost every other country on the planet. Cultural differences, higher academic standards, and less psycho-babble in the training of teachers are some of the factors explaining the difference. Another fact to keep in mind is that many of the OECD countries whose high-school students outperform American kids provide parents more choice among tax-subsidized schools.

According to the most recent data, for example, a majority of high-schoolers in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Chile attend private schools, usually with a tax subsidy of one kind or another. About half of British and Korean students, one-third of French and Japanese students, and one-quarter of New Zealand and Australian students enroll in private high schools, as well. Fewer than 10 percent of U.S. students do so — though polls show that many would opt for private high schools if given the choice.

Let's do it.

Lets see: pushing for lower outcome medical policy and fighting higher outcome education policy. If I didn't know better, I'd be forced to conclude that the Left is more interested in power than people. That can't be true can it? I mean the Chicago politicians that run the White House come from a long line of moral giants. Towering, principled leaders. Don't they? Well don't they?