Why is the following so hard?

I agree that the US needs to invest more in education. It's shameful that our public schools are often falling apart while we build fancy new stadiums.

I agree that funding art and music programs should be higher on the list of priorities.

Most schools do have some after school activities. Our elementary school has art, music and sports classes. High schools almost always have sports and clubs after school.

I disagree that the curriculum should be vocational. It's impossible to know which students are going to eventually attend higher education programs, so all need to be prepared. There could be some courses and apprenticeship arrangements for students who are interested in them.

As for the prison-like environment- one of the causes of that is the way the students themselves behave. I know a school with no doors on the restrooms because kids were going in there to do drugs or have sex. I think there are ways we could make kids take school more seriously, and take more responsibility for their own behavior in school, but that's a larger problem. Then the recent school shootings have forced schools to become less open, more prison-like, but more to keep people out than in.

Because your list is not workable.

Money does come from the government to school. People living in the area do have bills to vote on for schools. Many times they are voted down by the public. And the school amd student suffer because of that. My taxes go to public schools in my area.

The Arts- music, theater and art are the first to be dropped when the budget is in trouble. Academics are the primary function of school. People in the area have bills to vote on for the school’s budget.

Way too much liability problems with that. Tax payers fund the school, not extra activities. Some schools by me have an afternoon school program for students who need daycare after school hours. Our elementary school has free art classes after school for children enrolled at the school. Middle school and HS offer many sports, music and clubs after school for their enrolled student. Tax funded park districts are there for after school program, art and sports.

Schools are for academics. Social skills amd culture are to be taught by partners. We can not rely on the school to teach our children every thing. Parents need to step up

Once again schools are for academics. Schools teach basic English and math and science for a students to be well rounded. Writing and reading and math skills do help with any job. Vocational schools are available. A school’s job is not to get every student a job. But to give them academics to be able to function and be well rounded.

There are many jobs. Student, who are adults when they graduate, need to decide what they want to do and find further training. Community colleges can help fill the void for students who don’t go on for a higher degree. Our CC has an 18 wheel training course. HS can not be expected to teach everything.

Kids in a our area do go to school close of them. In 5th grade my daughter had to go to school further away because of over crowed. I wasn’t happy about it. Some urban areas do this ore than others. Back again to space and budgets

I have lived in three different school districts and never had prison type schools. No metal detectors at the doors. No armed gaurds roaming the halls. Some inner cities schools unfortunately have learned that this can help with student and teacher safety,

That has more to do with the environment the school is in, not the school itself.

If you are really conserved and interested in schools, do more research into local and state taxes and the school budgets. What comes in and where the money is spent.

Well 1st off, we do invest in public schools. The US spends the highest amount in the world per capita on a student.

1. some people have a problem with just throwing money at schools for the sake of doing so

2. not everybody is in agreement of just what "art" is

3. good idea, but there are liability issues to work out

4. culture, social skills, and conflict-resolution are hard to develop a measurable curriculum for

5. nobody knows what those jobs will be

6. there are occasionally problems for some students with the neighborhood school

7. the school only feels like a prison for the students that don't want to be there; changing the atmosphere rarely fixes THAT problem

Because all that is funded by property tax

You will understand once you grow up and own property