The U.S. education system is broken. Underfunded schools, overworked teachers, and massive disparities in quality depending on where you live. Meanwhile, countries like Finland, Sweden, and Denmark consistently rank among the best in the world.

Some U.S. states, like Massachusetts and New Jersey, have taken a more Nordic style approach, prioritizing well funded public schools, high teacher standards, and universal access. The results speak for themselves. Students in these states outperform much of the country. So why are we not following their lead on a national scale?

Should the Department of Education take a stronger role in setting national standards, equalizing funding, and ensuring every student, no matter their zip code, gets a high quality education? Or should education remain a state by state issue, even if it means vast inequality between states.

Some push school choice as a solution, diverting funds from public schools to private and charter schools. But does this actually improve education, or does it just drain resources from the schools that need them most?

The U.S. is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. There should be no excuse for having a failing education system. If we want to remain competitive, we need to stop making education a political football and start treating it like the national priority it should be.

Genuinely curious what people think. All points welcome. How does this best get addressed?