pax: Any discussion of public education will hit a lot of nerves in the USA. Our public education system has to be one of the worst in the Western World. I remember reading a survey a while back where a sample of USA high school and college students were asked to find the USA on a world map. Less than half were able to do so. And that is just simple geography. You can imagine the responses to cultural questions. I don't know much of the European education system but from what little I do know I think it is probably superior. Donerail