Further evidence that we have a warped approach to education comes from NY Times columnist Tom Friedman, who writes about joyful parents in Balitmore,who just won a lottery. The lottery isn't for the powerball jackpot, but for a child's right to a seat in a new public school:

There’s something wrong when so much of an American child’s future is riding on the bounce of a ping-pong ball.

(Hat tip: Pioneer Institute)