Charles -- Thanks for highlighting this very important issue. 
Education reform and is one of the most multi-partisan causes in the US today.  Many dedicated Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, etc, have fought many years to bring mastery based learning models (as discussed in Cheryl Frasca's recent symposium) and other reforms to the education mainstream. Unfortunately, the Education Industrial Complex is so invested in the labor intensive 1840's Horace Mann model of education delivery, it will take a major sea-change in policy making to bring it about meaningful change. President Trump appointing the incredibly courageous education reformer Michelle Rhee (Democrat) to the post of Education Secretary would be a great start.