A “good” public school is like a “good” amputation.
That’s Gatto’s point: When it “fails”, it’s merely functioning as intended; when it “succeeds”, it does so in spite of itself.
In addition to that, when it “fails”, it points the finger at the child, the parents, the community, the lack of funds, etc. But when it “succeeds”, it takes the credit.
The public school system in America is a devilish enterprise with “progressive” roots.
You're painting with a broad brush and, frankly, ignoring reality. I can name several school systems within maybe 20 miles of me that are incredibly good. They're so good that they raise property values by tens of thousands of dollars compared to neighboring areas.
Again, schools reflect the communities around them- districts with lots of two-parent, college-educated households are going to produce very well-educated graduates. That is due to a lot of factors, including a high level of parental involvement, low corruption, kids who are prepared to learn etc. Maybe I've been lucky, but the public schools I attended were quite good.