In case you haven't noticed, charter schools have far more interest from parents than there are spots open, that's why they have lotteries to get in. In fact there is a documentary specifically about this, called simply [1] The Lottery.

Also New Jersey schools are some of the most corrupt in the nation, which there is also a documentary about called [2] The Cartel. In The Cartel they actually have a scene from one of the charter lotteries, which is one of the saddest scenes I've ever seen in a film as it literally brought tears to my eyes watching parents and kids celebrate when they were chosen, and brought to tears of anguish when they were not.

Also it would be nice if you could show us where the public school system is supposedly "functioning just fine," as I'd love to see the evidence for that. In fact, there is a movie being released this Friday called [3] Waiting for "Superman" that argues the opposite, along with former NY state educator of the year [4] John Taylor Gatto that argues in his books that the entire system should be abolished and started over from scratch. Sure, there are the very rare few teachers that are actually doing good work, but the system is flawed from the top down starting with the goals (essentially to produce factory workers with no individual thought [5,6]).

[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1515935/

[2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1433001/

[3] http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/

[4] http://johntaylorgatto.com/

[5] http://johntaylorgatto.com/underground/index.htm

[6] http://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-Schoolteacher...

In one of John Taylor Gatto's books he brings up that Ivy League schools base part of their admissions process on the attractiveness of the applicant because they want to project a certain image. I'm not sure if this is true or not, and I can't find a citation, but it was in Weapons of Mass Instruction [1] I believe, but possibly Dumbing Us Down [2]. It was in his letter to his niece at the end of Weapons, if I recall correctly. I have also been told by a friend that is going to graduate school to an Ivy that it was part of the admissions process, though I'm not sure how she knew this (I believe told by a previous graduate).

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-Schoolteacher... [2] http://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Curriculum-Compulsory-Sch...

For a great look at this, check out the documentary [1] The Cartel. He focuses on New Jersey for the most part, but he touches on how difficult it is to remove poor teachers because of the teachers unions (which fight for the teachers at all cost, and essentially don't give a damn about education).

One example given was of a 17-year teaching veteran- an English teacher that was illiterate! I'm not entirely sure how that happens, but anything is better than what is currently happening with our schooling system- and make no mistake, it's not an education system, but a schooling system as former NYState educator of the year John Taylor Gatto [2] argues [3-5].

[1] http://www.thecartelmovie.com/

[2] http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/

[3] http://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Curriculum-Compulsory-Sch...

[4] http://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-Schoolteacher...

[5] http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/