“But many teachers said that they were discouraged or forbidden by their principals from flunking students, or that they have given out failing grades that were overridden. Others said failing students was permitted if justified, but the administrative burden to rationalize failure, even for students who did not show up to school, is onerous or impossible.”
This is the key point. The teachers want to teach, they want the kids to learn, but the students have found out they don’t have to do any work. All policy is made by the administration, and their policy is that everyone passes, and their school ranks high. They don’t care what is actually going on.
If a riot breaks out in the classroom, it’s the teacher’s fault for not engaging the students. The mere fact that the kids are savages who have no interest in learning is not taken into consideration.
So let’s stop blaming the teachers for what they can’t control. They are at the bottom of the totem pole, and have to put up with whatever crap their management tells them to do. Of course, many of the good ones have left - wouldn’t you?
Let’s not blame the teachers. But let’s not excuse the teachers. Teachers are individuals. Some are good and some are bad. Unfortunately the profession has attracted the wrong types. Most are the lowest achievers in college. Incompetence is not the only problem. There is a significant number of mentally unbalanced individuals teaching. If you want to advance in education you have to follow the ideology. You can be nearly illiterate and “earn” a master degree in education. Then you can be called Doctor. We live in a clown world.