"Much as I hate to seem like I'm piling on, this is just one more area where GWB comes up short as prez."
I don't much blame President Bush for this, although he has had his hand in the current mess. I think the bigger problem is that both his political party and the larger political culture (including Democrats) benefit from the status quo.
On these threads, posters are quick to point out how the NEA is resisting change. And that's true. But the fact that other individuals and organizations benefit from the status quo seem to be forgotten. The contractors who build the schools, the companies who provide the books and supplies, the institutional food providers all benefit.
And it seems that very few so-called conservatives are willing to go out on a limb and state the obvious: parents should be responsible for providing for the education of their own children.