Socialism does not work well. It often leads to declining value - less benefit received for the money spent. That has certainly been the case with education. Private schools, vouchers, home schooling are all valid alternatives. But when it comes to spending the public’s money, vouchers are the way to go.
I still think that part of the problem is that more people are going to college, and some of them are not "college material". However, the colleges want or need the tuition money, so they let marginal students in anyway, and then charge them for remedial courses that don't earn credit.
See my post #236.