Public education is to provide a basic level of education for society. To give everyone the skills to perform at fairly basic jobs in society and a prereq for higher education such as college or a vocation.
 

In principal, I agree with Vaden.

In actuality, however, the purpose of public education is to drill rote exercises into the minds of our young people enough time so that when they take their achievement tests they will choose the answer based on rote memory.

This has nothing to do with free thought, creativity, or conventional wisdom.

It all boils down to a simple formula:
IF achievementTest == PASS
THEN ((schoolFunding++) AND (footballStadium++))
ELSE (retakeTest);

It is as simple as that.

Primary school *should* be to provide everyone a general understanding of basic principals AND give them the tools and methods necessary to continue that education throughout the rest of their existence -- whether that be through higher eduction, on-the-job training, or street knowledge.

This, in turn, results in a more informed public who encourages and passes on their knowledge to younger generations, thereby keeping with the upward trend in general societal well being. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

To that end, public eduction should involve a host of various subjects (reading, writing, arithmetic, and history) and activities (recess, drama, music, and sports).

Instead, what it appears to be is a factory of bored test takers who spend more time using their otherwise unused creative minds to create mischief and havoc while the school administrations shift funding toward larger sporting complexes and away from liberal arts programs and teachers salaries.

Public education is no longer the challenge or well-rounded experience to students that it used to be.

Of course, that could just be the cynic in me.

More "Robin Hood," anyone?
 

For those of you who would point out that I misspelled education as "eduction"... twice, I point out that I was taught in public schools.

... and I never took a typing class.