> the reality is govt just isn't well suited for the nuance and individual attention/thought different disadvantaged groups require
This is a solved problem in other countries.
Finland is a good example. Their education system focuses on equality above all: all kids are going to have access to the same educational opportunities, even if equality comes at the cost of quality. As part of this idea, privately funded schools are not allowed. Guess what happens when rich people must send their kids to public schools, in a place where all schools must be equal above all? Suddenly all the schools improve.
The problem isn't inherent to government in principle, but perhaps to our forms of government in America in practice.
> Guess what happens when rich people must send their kids to public schools
This was my greatest concerned, which unfortunately proved true, when we introduced private schools in Sweden: previously if your kid didn't get a good education you had to try to improve the school. So the efforts of the resourceful parents helped the kids with less resourceful parents. Now when people are unhappy with their kids education they just send them to a different school, leaving the disadvantaged kids behind in schools that no one cares about trying to improve.
And I understand from an American perspective that sounds normal. But for me that is no way to build a society.
> all kids are going to have access to the same educational opportunities, even if equality comes at the cost of quality. As part of this idea, privately funded schools are not allowed. Guess what happens when rich people must send their kids to public schools, in a place where all schools must be equal above all? Suddenly all the schools improve.
(US) I sometimes wonder if fundraising by public schools (bake sales, car washes, etc) should be banned unless the raised funds are distributed evenly across all local public schools based on their headcount. I can't give money to a city or state and demand it's spent in one particular place, why should I be able to do so for a school district?
What do Finnish parents do if they disagree fundamentally with the educational approach of the system (like they want to do Montessori or whatever). Is there homeschooling? Does everyone have to just suck it up and use the one public school? Do Fins just never disagree about what education should look like?
This is a solved problem in other countries.
Finland is a good example. Their education system focuses on equality above all: all kids are going to have access to the same educational opportunities, even if equality comes at the cost of quality. As part of this idea, privately funded schools are not allowed. Guess what happens when rich people must send their kids to public schools, in a place where all schools must be equal above all? Suddenly all the schools improve.
The problem isn't inherent to government in principle, but perhaps to our forms of government in America in practice.