There’s another reason for school mediocrity that nobody is talking about. This factor is in the air thick as molasses, but we are not discussing it.
Attorneys.
School officials and teachers are shoved into a narrow path which keeps them from dealing with problem kids, teaching uncomfortable truths, saying anything politically incorrect, going off curriculum to share wisdom, or taking any kind of risks. The possibility of legal action hangs on their every word and action.
Try walking into a high school or junior high and interacting with adult employees. They look careful, cautious, tentative, and will not take the initiative to find a solution for a question. They will say they don’t know, and will refer to someone else.
Attorneys are the new ubiquitous soviet political officers who keep everyone looking over their shoulders.
Lawyers and their evil works are so "everywhere" that they influence every interaction with people...in all walks of life.
Can't say the truth to anyone anymore.
Can't make a point unless it's the PC one.Can't correct someone who's acting like an idiot in public.
Over time, it turns the USA into East Germany.
There is no way to teach uncomfortable truths in government schools. They are dangerous to the very idea of public schooling itself. You cannot package learning in a box and administer it to everyone according to a predetermined schedule. But by trying, you lose a whole lot more than you gain.