Many of the teachers are themselves somewhat functionally illiterate. They must be if they believe the BS of 'Common Core' and "New Math" that issues from the political class. What chance do the children have?
Quite a bit, actually. My first grader is reading at the fourth grade level. And after reviewing the Common Core approach to math I'm all on board.
Now I'll grant you we moved to a specific area to access the highest rated public schools we could find, but after her seeing how "sight words" jump started her ability to actually "read," as opposed to fumbling over older methods, I have to conclude "you can't argue with performance."
The only downside I've seen with teaching sight words is her tendency to conflate similar words and choosing words that are "close" instead of paying enough attention to really distinguish the differences.
Also, getting the teacher to explain how they're taught math is a bit of a challenge, but YouTube videos make excellent primers.