"I'm not saying that we should throw these 'non academic' kids out on the streets. I'm saying that we should give them an education that suits them. Again, my point is that there are kids who simply don't belong in a traditional classroom setting."

I wholeheartedly agree, and I think we could have a better educated society if we recognized that there are a lot of non-academic kids (and people) and that they do not benefit from traditional classroom "academic" education.

But I disagree that these people cannot learn many of the same concepts that are imparted in "academic" courses. Concepts in physics for example can be taught without teaching the underlying mathematics. Similarly, concepts in economics can be taught without the math and the graphs.

In other words, the educational experience could be better customized for the abilities of the students without stigmatizing them. Frankly, "academic" physics and chemistry were a waste of time for me--I hated every minute--but I excelled at other subjects. I would have really enjoyed a "concepts" version of both.

I don't think we have moved far enough away from the one room school house: making everyone take the same courses with the same textbooks and expecting good outcomes.