Heather,
Thanks for this. Lots of interesting and useful information. I am struck by a phrase at the bottom of your blog post, which I assume is your slogan: "Education is a Public Good--not a commercial activity." While I agree that education is a public good, it's undeniable that education is a commercial activity. (I say this as an employee of a university and as the father of three children in college.) In fact, all public goods--national defense, the sewer system, parks, etc.--require gargantuan and ongoing financial exchanges and related commercial activities. If you're trying to make the point that education should be nonexcludable, which is a definitional aspect of a public good, OK. But that's a different claim than education is not commercial. It is.
Richard Brown