First, they have to teach the teachers how to read.
You’re pretty close to right. Crappy teachers, lazy parents, sight reading. I used to know a lot of the teachers and there were only half a dozen teachers in the entire state who were worth their weight in salt. Many were totallt emotional wrecks and didn’t have the clarity of mind,patience, or skills to teach a bullfrog to hop.
Most of them can’t think. They aren’t paid to think...just follow the party line if you want access to the teacher’s lounge next year...ie..your job. And a good many more forgot to think like adults and are even less mature than the toddlers.
Colorado has always been behind national norms by at least 2 years. A good many of the schools are not graded as the best, but are graded as the worst. It’s automatically assumed that poor hispanic kids are disadvantaged so the schools are paid extra to keep the kids dumbed down. The politics are horrible there. Typical socialist.