If Bill Gates gets it then why can't we?

Bill Gates is the world's richest man. He thought that the American education system was not producing the pupils demanded by a modern economy. He decided to act. He set up a foundation with top-notch staff and tasked it to find how to get the quality of education he demanded. The staff travelled widely, interviewed the top educators, studied schools, and read research papers.

They found that schools are more likely to produce good educational outcomes if they are small and personalised. At most 400 pupils with an emphasis on long term relationships between students and teachers.

They found that small schools gave strong bonds between pupils and teachers. They found that small schools generated levels of caring and mutual obligation not found in big schools. That teacher turnover is lower. That disciplinary problems are lower. That drop out rates are lower. And they found that students from disadvantaged backgrounds did far better in small schools.

In the last three years Bill Gates has spent over $(NZ) 30 000 000 dollars on education research.

Bill Gates was so encouraged by the results of this research that he has now spent over $(NZ) 620 000 000 on creating small schools in the United States.

So, if Bill Gates gets it, then why can't we?