Book: How to Eradicate Failed Schools by 2030

Remedies from Edison chief Whittle would draw heavily on private sector.

Imagine a time, Christopher Whittle says, when a big-city school system like New York City’s would hire a handful of competing companies to run all of its schools.

Teachers would make two or even three times the typical salary of today. Principals would be trained in “principal colleges” that looked a lot like medical or law schools. Students, as they got older, would spend increasing amounts of time learning independently, outside the classroom.

And the federal government would vastly increase what it spends for research...