The teachers are told to pass everyone and don’t give homework. So low expectations equals little effort. Nobody is exceptional. Obama is happy.
This occurs because parents sue the school system because it is too hard on their darlings. ALL of the failings of the school system start with the parents.
When I was a student teacher in a predominantly Black urban school, I was told by the principal, a Black woman, to pass kids who never turned in an assignment and turned in blank test sheets. She said they aren’t going to change; we just need them out of the building. They don’t want to be here. Don’t waste your time. That was the policy of the school system. That was in 1975.