Thanks for reading and posting! I agree that districting is an issue, but what a lot of people are not aware of is that some states have legislation in place that diverts additional funds to lower income districts. This is not exactly a solution, and it often is a negative talking point for wealthy people who don't understand why it is more expensive to run schools in poorer areas (mainly because those districts have higher rates of kids with disabilities, etc), but it is an example of how government can work to create more balance.

School choice is a hot topic here. In some cases it works really well, in others it just leads to engaged parents moving their kids to better schools, leaving the lesser school with an even higher critical mass of kids with disengaged parents. The most at-risk kids end up totally screwed in that scenario. But I think your point underscores that we need a multi-faceted approach. No one policy will improve the overall system. For crying out loud, we sent people to the moon! (That's always my fall-back :). We certainly could create an amazing school system if it were a priority.