Public schools are not serving the public.

Private schools are wonderful if you can afford them.

Is there any way to connect the two?

The philosopher John Stewart Mill stated the greatest good for the greatest number.  For the most part, this was a philosophy I agreed with.  I am changing my tune.

Testing is getting out of control.   I read Diane Ravitch's blog today (I'd been terribly behind) and she wrote of parents in state like NY getting angry that their children are losing a lot of instructional time because they are being tested.  Stretch that idea further and you'll see what I'm looking at.

The measure for a good school is based on several factors.  One is graduation rate.  Apply that to my school -- the principal looks good if his students graduate.  It's easier for students to graduate when they are passing their classes and do not fall behind.  However, if you have a teacher who doesn't recognize that the unspoken rule is to "pass" students, then we have a problem.  The principal looks bad because he has students who have credit deficiencies.  They may become drop outs which would make the school look bad.  See, it's a vicious cycle.

Private schools look at student learning.  The narrative report card shows where the student does well and where the student needs improvement.  If we looked at students as people instead of numbers, perhaps public education could be salvaged.