I have a cynical opinion about the basic problem with our public schools: Almost all of our politicians send their children to excellent private schools, thus the poor quality of public education does not affect them personally.
If we knew the real truth about California's high school graduation rate, it would embarrass the teachers' union, and voters would be hesitant to put more money into an unsuccessful system.
The point is we do not know the truth because the Federal Government passed a Privacy act, that had the unintended but real consequence, of destroying the public schools.
If you ran a store and what you were actually selling (as opposed to what you were advertising) was kept a secret from the customers how long would it last? The whole concept sounds too bazaar for words, but this is the situation.
If taxpayers spend $2000 for John Smith to have a year of math class, the taxpayers have a right to know if John Smith learned any thing or not. They have a right to know if the "A" John earned was the average for the class or not. If everyone received an "A" they should know what an exceptionally brilliant teacher they have.
All of this information is hidden, and it is wrong. Every student should be listed and the grades each student gets should be in the public record. This way the public knows the score and can elect school boards accordingly.