Education

It's quite obvious that many of our society's ills are the result of uneducated or poorly educated people.  For a long time now people have recognized that America's education system is in desperate need of reform.  But you know how the political game works, theres a lot of song and dance and pretty words, but no one ever really comes up with anything worthwhile, or they simply fail to make the change.  But I'm here to present the way I think education should work.

A much great focus is needed on:
+ Math (it's useful and keeps the mind sharp)
+ Science (for obvious reasons)
+ Physical health (not just some half-assed gym class, but a serious and appropriate exercise program in addition to instruction/lectures on healthy eating, hygine, sexual health)
+ Music (much like Math it helps to keep the mind sharp and can open the door to other forms of creativity)

Additionally, I think educators should teach and encourage students to value traditional virtues.  And by traditional I don't mean "zomg gays are bad! etc."  I mean things like honesty and courage.  Especially from an early age, children need to be taught the values that will make it possible for them to sucessful in life.


Less focus on:
+ History (it's good to know, but there are much more important things to focus on)
+ Composition/English (certainly it's useful, but kids should be solving Math problems and doing science experiments more often than writing book reports)
+ Optional classes (things like Home Econ. and Shop Class are fine, but schools should focus more on academics).

Also, there shouldn't be any study halls or free periods.  Any free time should be used exercising or doing something useful.  (and don't argue that study halls are useful, because most kids will just screw around or go to sleep).

LUNCH:
+ No soft drinks
+ No junk food     (if you have to ask why, GTFO)


OTHER STUFF:
+ No student should be passed along if their performance sucks.  No exceptions.  They'll be tested and retested again and again until they display a satisfactory level of comprehension.
+ Teachers need to be paid well.
+ Teachers should receive a bonus or some other incentive for every student who does well in their class.
+ Uniforms for students.  It reduces social anxiety and bullying.
+ Segregation of the sexes, at least for middle school.  Kids will be more focused if they're not staring googly-eyed at whoever their crush of the minute is.

>>1
You have a lot of rather interesting ideas, and I have a few I'd like to add myself.  I also must disagree with you sharply in at least one area.. but anyways, on with the reply..

"Less focus on:
+ History (it's good to know, but there are much more important things to focus on)"

I actually think more time should be devoted to history than currently is.  Before you scream bloody murder, I hope you'll read what I have to say about *why*. 

History is a subject of enormous importance, possibly not so much to the individual specifically, but to the society as a whole.  The reason for the great significance of history is that without history lessons, people cannot learn from mistakes of the past.  If you are going to lessen focus on history lessons, you should make a certain number a *requirement* for voting.  The people of society who make decisions about how things will be run (the voters do this indirectly in our republic), must be informed about events of the past, and the subsequent results that these events brought, for the sake of making wise decisions in the polling place about how OUR government and OUR society ought to be run. 

For example.. it is important people know what events happened as precursors to the genocides/mass murders that occurred in the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, China, etc, for the sake of not making the mistakes that lead to those genocides/mass murders here in our own countries.  (I have to take the time to recommend this great documentary on this very subject right now:  http://www.innocentsbetrayed.com/)

So anyways, this is but one example.  There are many other mistakes in history that it is important that we learn about to increase the likelyhood of the prevention of the same tradgedies in the future.

It is also important, similarly, that we learn about precursors in history to events that lead to good things so that we can repeat those as well.  It is important that Americans, for example, have a good understanding of American History.. of why our founders gave us a Bill of Rights, a constitution, why we separated from Britain, why we instituted the policies we did and when, and of course, what the results of those policies were. 

Far too often, I find people who claim dislike for history as being those who simply do not understand the reasons why it is so important, or who advocate many of what I think to be the same mistakes that were made in the past that lead to terrible events.

That said, I think it would be disastrous to remove or lower the number of history classes served to the public, unless this educational reform was accompanied with some sort of voter reform.  You should make the history lessons a requirement for voting if you are going to eliminate them from the general public curriculum.  One of the very reasons we instituted public education to begin with is for this very reason:  to educate the people to ensure they make informed/wise decisions at the polls. 

This, not to prepare children for jobs, is the primary reason why people like Thomas Jefferson advocated public education, and this should be considered before you jump to remove history and social science classes from school curriculums.