Your last post is all the things I hate about public school. I feel that the schools receive those kids bright eyed and eager to learn as kindergartners and by the time they are in 3rd grade many are closed off and discouraged.
I don’t fault you for looking for solutions that you think would work. Its a heartbreaking situation because so much is lost personally & by society. Returning control locally and allowing vouchers would empower the parents who would be more hopeful if they had more input and could see their children thriving. Voucher schools would also tend to pool children whose parents were engaged and who were ready to learn.
Children who do not have as much home support & perhaps already have issues functioning in a school environment would be able to get more specialized attention as well and intervention to open up their potential futures. Its a lot more complex than self esteem. These kids also need role models that have had beginnings in similar circumstances with compelling stories and successes. They need to be engaged in possible futures.
Unfortunately when you’ve got multiple generations that feel defeated getting hope in there is tough. Even if you give them a path you still have to get them to see it as a path that can work not just another hollow gesture from a society that’s OK with them being on the outside. Toughest of all societal nuts to crack, and so far nobody has really gotten good at it.