Although government spending on education is at record highs, American public schools are producing record lows in literacy rates, record highs in crime rates, and an out-of-control, enormously expensive system of bureaucracy and special-interest politics. Why is public education failing, especially for the most disadvantaged? What about such alternatives as charter schools, vouchers, private scholarships, home schooling, independent schools, etc.? This special Independent Policy Forum features three top educational experts to discuss what can and should be done to restore educational excellence.