IMO, the only stuff that everybody needs to know is how to read, how to write (or more generally communicate) and math up through about Algebra I or Geometry. A

IMO, the only stuff that everybody needs to know is how to read, how to write (or more generally communicate) and math up through about Algebra I or Geometry. After that, everything else is an elective. Simply structuring the schools to make sure everybody got that core down by 8th grade, and then make high school nothing but electives, would go a long way towards making the education system much more effective. That could be done within the constraints of the existing public school system. I've read Holt and Gatto and generally agree with them. (Both my kids were homeschooled K-12). However, what they are talking about is less redoing school and more redoing society. It's too much to ever get done. However, cherry picking the ideas that can work with what we have now is a much more doable project.