The US has extraordinarily great schools - and extraordinarily bad ones.
Unfortunately, the "greatness" of a school is measured by the performance of its students. A reluctant student body, not encouraged at home to embrace the struggle of academic challenge, nor to master self-discipline, may lag behind in academic/intellectual performance and achievement as compared with students from homes which value education (including the
struggle and
self-discipline,
hard work and
sacrifice inherent in academic challenge).
the education system as a whole is such a small piece of educational outcomes.
Agreed!
putting some money in up front, so that in the long run, more people are more fully engaged in society, and better employed, for more of their lives.
Some may say that the US puts in so much money "up front" that some parents may find receiving those funds to be more palatable than engaging in society, becoming employed, and taking on tasks such as volunteerism to help others... all of which involve risk of "failure", including subjecting one's self to competition, and being evaluated by others.
