Hans Bader of the Competitive Enterprise Institute writes about the follies of our education system, from the fad for promoting student “self-esteem” to the mania for “diversity.”

We often hear it said that America is prosperous because we “invest” so much in the education of the people. Actually, it’s the other way around. It’s only because America is prosperous that we’re able to afford an education system that costs as much and delivers as little as ours does.