I have plenty of bad things to say about School Administrators, Teachers Unions, and Teachers.
But the core problem today — when it comes to young people — is that so many parents have no idea how to parent. They raise kids who cannot transition to adulthood. Parents today hurt their kids, and they make it nearly impossible for schools to function.
I have no idea how to fix the parenting problem.
I am posting to you twice in an hour. I have a teaching credential and worked in public schools for twelve years — when engineering for the defense department was between programs. (I liked where I was living and actually love teaching, except for the teachers union and most administrators.)
I do not know how to fix it but we have changed so much as a society. (I went out all day and came home when it got too dark to play outside.) My parents were busy and did not mind the risks we were taking — and there were lots of risky things in my childhood. But teachers, many anyway, are easily satisfied to repeat last year over and over. Kids look around for teachers who make learning exciting and are often disappointed.
I got my license at 16 and I was not really ready for the responsibility, but got a lot of experience (and one minor accident changing lanes — but we did not havde cell phones, I was sick and should have stayed home — just did not know how my reflexes were slowed by the cold.)