The school and the classroom should be microcosms of the sort of society we want to create. I think that public education would have more legitimacy if more decisions were left to local school boards the people elected to represent the community in education. Only central agencies like courts or legislatures can equalize school finance or guarantee civil rights to students and staff. But I am not convinced that governance from a distance from Washington or Sacramento makes equal sense when it comes to instruction. The pendulum has shifted over time from centralized to decentralized governance, and these two models exemplify that trend.
Districts vary enormously in size and demographics and quality of leadership.
Some are working just fine, some are beyond tinkering. Even two sizes of reform plans cannot fit all districts. Let's talk for a moment about vouchers and privatization. If only parents could choose schools for their children, with public subsidies called vouchers, education would flourish. New schools would sprout all over the state like poppies after the spring rains.