As I have gotten older, I have given up the idea that the schools can be reformed. It is too stacked, and individual citizens, who aren't devoting their lives to this since they have lives, jobs, families, etc., just can't stop the machine. In my imaginary ideal world, government schools would be phased out (along with school taxes) and myriad diverse and innovative private solutions would arise. But government would hate that, because schools are very effective now, and carry out the government agenda wonderfully well, which has nothing to do with the 3 R's.
I agree, there should be a separation of school and state.