If you want to understand the mystery of why we spend so many billions of dollars and get crummy schools, here are some options. You can read a hundred books. You can spend many years earning a Ph.D. in history. You can try to bribe the director of the CIA — or consult a psychic. Alas, you probably won't find the truth. I suggest you spring for the lazy-man, two-word explanation: Red Ed. Arguably, that's what we've got. The almost comical thing about the U.S. is that most people persist in believing that the top educators are harmless, nice, pleasant,...