The way we hold schools and teachers accountable is flawed. In fact, the way we approach fixing American schools is wrong altogether.

For instance, if we make fifth-graders take a test to find out whether the fifth-grade teacher can teach, those results are relying on the skills of the fourth-grade teacher, the third-grade teacher and so on down the line.

The progress of a student in high school relies on the middle school, which relies on the elementary school.

You see what’s wrong? Everyone eventually relies on the base. And we aren’t funding a base hardly at all.

That base is early childhood education — all-day, everyday kindergarten and all-day, everyday preschool. (An area far too many states are quick to cut, by the way.) All children, not just the ones whose parents can afford it, should be attending a preschool by age 3 — yes, that’s right — if we are serious about improving scores and outperforming other countries. The research emphatically shows this model works and, get this, saves money by producing more people who contribute to society, not drain it.

If Republicans and Democrats are to get serious about catching up with other countries in terms of education, this nation needs to stop quibbling about ways to negatively reinforce better education in the existing grade-by-grade model and start working toward better funding early childhood education.

This nation’s schools need to end grouping students into grades by the age — a holdover from the 1800s somehow — and instead begin to implement new ideas such as looping. Imagine staying with the same teacher for first, second and third grade. It increases continuity and reduces apprehension. Or some places group children by skill levels, so the quick learners aren’t dragged down by the slow ones, and the slow ones aren’t frustrated by the fast ones.

It’s time for an overhaul of the system. It’s time to throw choices like longer school years and alternative teacher licensure on the table. It’s time to get smart about education in America, not political.

But, most of all, it’s time for America to fund early childhood education. It’s the solution. It’s the solution. It’s the solution.

In our impatient, results-quick society, we just have to be willing to wait for the results one generation later.

Sadly, we doubt America has the resolve or political will for such bold action.