Here was my reply:
I love how businessmen and politicians think they know how to fix schools. Teachers know what's wrong and want to fix it but get no help. Parents need to be more involved, and actually help their kids, encourage them to go to school, and make school a priority. Teachers have to have support when dealing with kids who won't do their work, skip school, and cause problems. Most of the money "thrown" at schools ends up at the top - it never filters down to the classroom any way.
You want a longer school year? Pony up a lot of money - increase salaries, utility bills, air conditioning (can't have students in a 110 degree building). What about high school students who work to help support their families? An increased school day and year will limit that.
To fix education, you have to fix the current culture in so many areas that school isn't important. Why go to school when you can get welfare like your mom? Why go to school when you can sell drugs like your cousin? Too many of our students want to be lawyers and go into financial jobs. These are the people who got this country messed up! We need doctors, engineers, scientists, machinists, manufacturers, and trades.
Also, not everyone should go to college. It's not for everyone. And, we need plumbers, mechanics, machinists, carpenters, electricians, construction, chefs, etc. They don't need college. Stop forcing every kid to go to college.
Research, by the way, show's that the president's beloved charter schools are not really anything special. Many fail, many are a waste of money, and most don't do any better than public schools. And, these charter schools had more resources and could hand pick their students.
Politicians don't have the answers because they don't even know what the real problem is. Let's get educators involved in this process and use actual research to fix things.
Let's keep the conversation going and make sure to spread the word to the public and politicians.