The thing that always blew my mind senior year was the stark contrast in the middle of the day between public school and college. I was taking two courses at UPS in the middle of the day (Math/Physics) while taking the standard history/english/band courses back at Stadium (I left out Programming, because let’s be honest, Dale was one of the few teachers I knew who could get students to love learning). Honestly, I couldn’t stand being in an environment where everyone was checked out. And that sentiment, as you found out with math, is very contagious.

I think Khan is a great resource, but I’m not sure exactly where it fits at the moment. I went through the biochem course, just to see what the lectures were like. I think it serves as a great supplement for motivated individuals, but I have a hard time seeing the general student population sticking to the track. I think the answer lies somewhere in getting students to love the quest for knowledge first and foremost, and if Khan can do that effectively then I think it’d be a wonderful addition to the classroom. I’m just somewhat biased against online courses at the moment.

Let’s also be honest about the drop-outs you described, they were highly motivated individuals who were mostly autodidacts. The balance I think the government needs to strike is investment not only in what is profitable, but the basic research tracks that made the US science capitol during the Cold War.