The direction of our nation has been downward for MANY reasons. Do not try and tie the education system of say the 40s and 50s and before to anything like what passes for schooling these days. You obviously survived your exposure.
The decline of the family, the rise of teachers unions and government unions, the general decay in moral values and attributes come from many many sources not just public education. That is the strawman in your argument. You want to blame one thing when it started with the decline of the two parent family.
Do you directly or indirectly get a living from the K-12 socialist-entitlement schools? ( Just wondering.)