Education: Right or Privilege?

Isn't it time we gave up on schools? I know we'll need to replace the socialization and normalization somehow, but I mean as far as a quality education goes.

You hear a lot about the 'free market' these days. How the best products an solutions come from personal interest - that society will benefit from people trying to make themselves rich. There's definitely some truth to it, but I think it's time we tapped into something more powerful than self interest to shape our society. Parents.

Not all parents, obviously, but enough - more than enough really. Self-interest (at least on the surface level) will never have a person throw themselves in front of a car to save another. Yet, I can't say that I know a single mother that wouldn't do so for her child. I'm sure they are out there, but overwhelmingly the mothers I meet would do anything for their children.

So, let's see if we can't take that emotion and use it to build our society from the ground up. Let's make THAT the foundation of our society. If a mother's love for her child is the foundation, the next layer would be education. What if a great education was available to every child (at least every child with internet access)? What kind of world would result from that? Would it be a better world to live in than if education - particular American education - remains as horrible as it is?

What if education goals weren't the minimum it takes for a child to succeed, but the maximum that child could achieve?
Isn't wikipedia proof that it's possible? On donations and donated time there's a fantastic reference for damn near everything, of which most is sufficient accurate. If THAT's possible, then isn't it also possible to have an awesome education based on donations and donated time?

If we can make key people realize that the best thing they can do for their children's future is to make sure their child's entire generation has access to a better education, (and how could that not make their own child's future brighter) there could be a donation-website teaching website that will change the world.

Is it REALLY that difficult to imagine a website that can take a person from learning to read to learning calculus?

The concept isn't without precedent - I've heard advertisements on the radio for what sounded like companies trying to do something similar, but wouldn't we get a much better product if the people involved were doing it for their passion for a brighter future for their children instead of a paycheck?

I've enrolled in a free game theory class through Stanford - an education far beyond my reach through conventional means. I'll readily admit I have no idea why they're doing it, but I know they aren't the only University to do so. MIT has something brewing as well.

How much value of a good education comes from the actual education? Is it not REALLY worth more than the paper they give you that says you've gotten one?

Can we not do better than public schools as a society? Shouldn't the best education be available to all?