In the other countries, students attend different schools based on their grades and test scores. If you want to go to college, you have to work hard enough and/or be smart enough to earn admission to the college preparatory program.
I suspect that if the U.S. were to implement a similar program, some of the students who just "get by" might put forth more effort, which would be a good thing.
I disagree. Only the young person and their parents can make that decision. The state should not force kids into any skill or employment path. The state is not suited to maek that decision. Education is a lifelong process; schooling is not. We have no idea what a kid who looks useless at 16 might become.
If parents had a lot of different choices of paths to help their children walk, it would be different. It is usually just the college track, the slut track and not much more.