Rupert Murdoch: If Schools Were Like 'American Idol' ...

OPINION

If Schools Were Like 'American Idol' . . .

Unless we measure success by how children perform, we'll have higher standards for pop stars than public schools.

BY RUPERT MURDOCH

Over the past few years, I have often complained about a hidebound culture that prevents many newspapers from responding to the challenges of new technology. There is, however, another hidebound American institution that is also finding it difficult to respond to new challenges: our big-city schools.

Today, for example, the United States is home to more than 2,000 dysfunctional high schools. They represent less than 15% of American high schools yet account for about half of our dropouts.