Maybe there’s nothing wrong with public schools. Maybe they just reflect back what is wrong with society.
Self-selection plays a big role in the very successful schools. Good teachers self-select to teach there. Good parents self-select to get their kids there.
Failure to remove problem students, mainlining differentially enabled students, IDLPs, massive ESL issues, promotion for social development, there’s many issues.
The goals start out lofty, bringing all equally to the high bar set by successful schools, the results have been often abyssmal creating a lowest common denominator for all in the school.