I am very concerned about the state of our education in the U.S. Let me relate a quick story. My eight year old came home last week with an F on a math test. When I reviewed the test he had every answer right. I called the teacher for an explanation, and she told me that in second grade she prefers "estimates" other than the exact answer, as it makes it uncomfortable and puts an undo stigma on those children who cannot yet answer the questions correctly. I was dumbfounded. Needless to say my son will be attending private school in the fall. As for solutions - no easy ones but here is my list: