How to reform education

An insightful, well-argued op-ed piece in the Times on the legalistic overregulation of of the schools, and that gets in the way of truly reforming our educational system to educate better.

Perhaps it's time to rethink basic assumptions. Is legal micromanagement the right way to run schools? Maybe teachers and principals should be allowed to think for themselves. That's how successful schools have always worked.

The sticking point is distrust. It's human nature to fear the worst, especially when things aren't going well. No one in education seems to trust anyone else. But breaking free from this legal nightmare doesn't require blind trust or some authoritarian structure.

Guarding against incompetence or unfairness can be accomplished far more effectively with human oversight than with legal central planning.