I realize we've strayed far from Jack's original comment. My general view on all this is that usually when some concentrated effort is made to fix some great ill (poverty, teen pregnancy, etc) the cure usually not only isn't effective but the problem actually grows worse. It usually starts with a lot of probably well meaning people who say, "We have to do something" and our kids become the beta test. Here's the thing, it's not necessarily their fault that things get worse, but it's naive to think there's a one size fits all silver bullet to any problem. Schools are mainly there for social conditioning. If kids attend to age 13 they are statistically less likely to go to prison. While there the kids also get some basic educational skills. What I resent though is the often elitist attitude of educators that supposedly know better than me the parent on the values my child should hold. I'm straight if my son tells me he's gay that won't in any way change how I feel about him. And if my son asks a teacher a direct question that teacher can speak their conscience without me suing him/her for it. But to mandate that my son must have Sex Ed pisses me off. It would depend on the curriculum whether I would be in favor of it, but i'm opposed to losing that choice.
The secret of poetry is cruelty.--Jon Anderson