I've know two really good parents that have claim that if you spend about an hour each day "detoxifying" the children when they get home that they can survive public school. They let their children know that the public school is a manufactured environment, how to combat child peering (where children look to other children for role models), talk with them about their frustrations, and generally spend about an hour discussing ideas of substance.

So far, it seems to work - the children have a certain detachment to the school environment and a mindfulness about them when they talk about their situation.