It's not that deep. Society & government know school is valuable, and good school is better, but reform, especially national reform, is really difficult. Different regions think they want different things, as do different voters.

The easiest approach is to incrementally require some new standard, a new test, new collection of content, etc etc. The problem here, for me, is that I think the system needs LESS of most things and MORE subtlety and nuance for the the things which remain.

Problem is: most educators and policy makers were educated in the main stream. The ideas I have, which are more normal in other places or at other times, are just alien to them.

There isn't a national conspiracy to keep people as quiet tax paying cattle because there doesn't have to be. People like being quiet tax paying cattle. Education is about helping people produce more throughout their lives because a rising tide raises all ships.