Here is the root of the problem. I actually beleive this. We are spending absurd amounts of money on schools that do not improve the education of children. Are there really that many more garbage collectors, dog catchers, road crews, etc. If you look at any town budget the majority of the money goes to "education".
You want to talk productivity? How about plotting SAT scores (declining or holding steady at an absurdly low level) against number of teachers and administrators per student (rising all the time)? Productivity and results in the public education sector have been NEGATIVE for so long that way too many people are just assuming that's the way it will always be.