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Perhaps you both will agree that many, if not most, high schools are poorly run academic disasters. Avoiding violence is a real problem here locally, never mind getting an education. The District moves "students" who have committed felonies from one high school to another.

Unfortunately, it does not seem politically correct to separate serious students from the thugs. If I had a magic wand, I'd put the problems in a boot camp setup with ex-Marine drill instructors, who could teach their pupils in any way they saw fit, as long as they didn't leave permanent scars or injuries.

But we have to deal with what we have. Home schooling by some, private school for others and perhaps someday vouchers to allow choice and promote excellence.

My wife teaches in community college and gets some home-schoolers who are taking advanced courses their parents can't teach. Here they can go for free but they are the last to register and must be at least 16. They don't participate in campus life (what little there is in community college) so I don't see it as a threatening atmosphere.

Her classes have students from 16 to 70. Much of the difference between the oldest students and the college freshmen is in their prior education. Since she teaches a foreign language, she finds that she often has to teach the younger students English grammar. (They have no clue about the structure of English.) The older ones are aghast at the ignorance of the younger ones although most of the home-schoolers have had better preparation.

"Unfortunately, it does not seem politically correct to separate serious students from the thugs."
***Well, this forum is one of the last places one would look for politically correct thinking. However, this proposal drives right down the middle of sensible economics, freedom of choice, hard work generating rewards, and mainstream americans who want to push themselves. It's simply the right thing to do.