I agree with you. But, one thing we could do is try to get a conservative elected to the White House.... a conservative that removes (hopefully attempts/succeeds in disbanding the Department of Edu) the DoE/NEA from putting their hands so deeply into state affairs.
We need to elect govenors that will put us on track to slowly remove state interference with schools and foster the free market. Provide tax breaks/refunds for parents that send children to private schools. Provide tax breaks for private companies that own schools (no property taxes). Start removing free lunch/breakfast programs (do you really need to receive that much dang money in foodstamps when your kids receive 2 cooked meals a day "free"?). Allow students to choose from a basic diploma or a vocational diploma. You fail out of school and don't have a diploma, or homeschool certification... no welfare, no social security, no food stamps, no housing allowance, no gov't paid cellphone, nada. Oh yeah, AND NO ILLEGALS in public school. That's what I like to call "incentive."
Stop allowing teacher's unions to have all of the power... if you don't measure up....you're fired; your pension... buh-bye, your teaching certification = canceled. If you're a principal/superintendant and you look the other way... same deal and you're possibly charged with fraud. Allow competition to occur. People will soon realize how much better the private schools are. Soon, the public schools will be unfunded and hopefully close.... or they'll have to change.
...but it is little more than a pipe dream.
And to make it worse, some past Republicans have contributed to the current state of education. GHWB worked to pass Goals 2000 during his term, and he worked with the governor of Arkansas on some of the recommended curriculum changes. A lot of this crap has come about through Republican support of globalism, and the notion of producing future employees rather than educated citizens.
Even making a start at dismantling the current curricula and education establishment will be a major project that will require an entirely different sort of Republican and some true conservatives in office.