Yup. But I'll make it short and come back, because I could go on a lot, and I'm procrastinating on some work I should be doing
1) Public schools are overcrowded. Classrooms should be smaller and have a much lower student to teacher ratio. I should have added that as a reason I think that homeshooled kids get a better education. Particularly at a younger age, the better the teacher student ratio, the better the education will be.
2) The quality of teaching is not what it should be. Because of incentive and work-environment, we have a lower quality of teachers than we should. The better teachers often move to private schools (though many private schools actually do have lower salaries, the work condition is usually much better). But I'll say in contrast to this, that there are a lot of very good teachers who teach because they believe in it's value, in lieu of taking other jobs, and I commend all of those people. I know a fair amount of teachers, and the ones I know that teach at public schools are among the most committed people I know.
3) Public school tends to under-teach. It's geared towards an average, rather than focusing on different children's abilities and levels. The most obvious example is that gifted or highly intelligent students are often held back from what they can accomplish. They get lost in the shuffle. But this extends to children besides gifted children. Children aren't averages... Each has their gifts, and generally, public schools aren't set up to deal with that. Those gifts shouldn't be lost. Everyone should learn the basics. Readin, ritin, rithmatic. But some kids are better at other things than other kids, and far too often, those things never have a chance to emerge.
4) Facilities, etc. Our public schools should be supersonic laboratories where kids always have access to the best. Most public schools use outdated books and equipment. Most public schools are dusty, beaten, depressing institutions. Mills. Pale blue and green walls, wall clocks ticking the minutes away.
5) Curriculum at most public schools is completely outdated. The system needs an upgrade. We know a lot more about teaching and how kids learn than we did 80 years ago, but we still use the same curriculum. Again, it's geared toward the average.
6) Parent's involvement is really important. For the schools and for the kids. I don't think that parents are as involved as they should be.
I have to go but I'll come back later and blather more.