Are you confused when you read Nick Kristof?
Jersey Jazzman is puzzled too.
Kristof makes sense when he writes about almost anything about education..
But when he talks about American education, he becomes incoherent.
For example, he is ga-ga about charters yet seems to know nothing about them.
He must have gone on a tour of the Potemkin Village Academy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
A few years ago Kristof made the case for sweatshops in third world countries, saying the only other alternative for these poor people was total destitution or digging in trash heaps. After the latest horrible sweatshop fires, I would say that Kristof is full of clueless nonsense. Everything is so simple for these elite pundits who live in another rarified universe than the rest of we ordinary mortals.
I loved your Potemkin Village commnet. I keep describing the whole charter movement and misleading reports of success as a soviet 5 year paln.
Potemkin Village is so apt!
And yes, Kristof is clueless. He also wrote something about paying teachers more with the caveat that they should be willing to give up lower ratios. Gee! Sounds like just the teacher I would want– someone who is willing to sacrifice personal attention given for more lucre.
Kristof with his call for sweatshops shows how little he knows. Wealthy industrial nations want developing nations to play by rules they were never subject to. The US and Europeans relied on protectionism to grow their economies and build a middle class now they say to others “not you– you must liberalize your trade!”.
I just started blogging at the beginning of this year and have 10 instances where I mention a column by Kristof, (see http://waynegersen.com/?s=kristof)… and at least eight of them are because of head-scratching conclusions he’s reached. I DO think he has a big heart and am not ready to place him in the for-profit camp… but I don’t think he has any idea of the challenges public schools face in trying to engage children raised in poverty.
actually, i find that he consistently shares a corporate agenda on education.
So, when it comes to edukational rheeform, “It takes a Potemkin Village”?