Conservatives who blame teachers for the problems in education are falling for the tactics of the left. Teachers do their jobs. They are forced to do their jobs in a way that is conducive to achieving the goals of the left. Unions are a problem. Central control of education in DC is a problem. Politicization of curriculum is a problem. Lack of parenting is a problem. All of these are far greater problems than teachers. If you want to fix education, abolish the Department of Eduction, eliminate all DC funding for local education, and let communities run it. Many teachers want to do their job well, given the opportunity, and I hate seeing conservatives disparage teachers, the least powerful of the entities in the education system. Many teachers can be our allies.
You make many good points.
But the caliber of teachers needs to improve. Schools of Education are not producing quality teachers. Schools refuse to hire qualified people (compared to most who are in the classrooms they are OVER qualified) without the “education” degree, comprised of truly useless psycho-babble — global warming — no bullying — government is good courses (mastery of a subject - REAL mastery - is truly rare).
Then of course there is the total lack of enforcement of student conduct (and the refusal of schools to back up teachers), where students run the show because they know having their butt in the chair is more important to the schools than how they behave, or concerns about whether anyone in the room learns (the head count that gives them $$$ rules supreme).
A school today would rather be academically failing than be called a dangerous school. So they are both.