Jim
"The internet seems to have helped create the strange contradiction of access to vastly far more information but far less incentive to use it."

That is a bit of a broad brush statement. It leaves out the vital component of any person's education, namely motivation. Sufficient motivation can overcome many educational disadvantages. This is not ideal obviously, but if all had the same opportunities there would still be winners and losers. Some thrive in an educational environment some detest it. Our present system(UK) provides elitist secondary education in the private sector, underfunding in the public sector and very little to help those not academically inclined. Is funding the real problem though? The secondary school I attended had one extension built in 60 years. The swimming pool was still suffering bomb damage from ww2 in the mid sixties. The main school was a victorian gothic monstrosity. Investment in facilities and equipment was minimal yet exam results were entirely reasonable. Also I can remember no school inspections and behaviour in the classroom was exemplary. To answer back was simply not done as the outcome of such a deed would be too painful. Could it be that in the 50's and 60's most male teachers of an age had been in the military and expected discipline. Today there is far more money, lax discipline and pass rates for a levels and degrees are ever higher and grades reach the stratosphere. Are teachers getting better, kids more intelligent, or are standards slipping?