Interesting article by  Edward B. Fiske (former Times education editor and author of the Fiske Guide to Colleges) about (a) how Reagan appointed a commission to push a political agenda that included voluntary prayers in schools, but the commission he appointed came up with a report that focused on quality of education and (b) why economic productivity of a country  is not correlated with educational achievements. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/opinion/25fiske.