I agree, the education system in the US has several problems, some of which are being made worse by attempt to "fix" those problems (Race to the Top I'm looking at you).

I would point out that these kinds of things are about trade offs. As a society we are much worse off without a national education offering, even if it has significant problems to overcome. At this point in time, private health insurance tied to employment have clearly failed as a way for US society to have decent health care, as we spend more for lower quality service than most other nations in our economic class. Universal health care programs are not so much about a panacea, but something that doesn't suck as bad.