If you ever knew (much less dated) a liberal 9th grade social studies teacher, you would replace the word "educated" with "indoctrinated" or "brainwashed."
Are these millions also taught reading, writing, and arithmetic? Yea, kinda.
Parents play a significant role in education whether it be private or public. If you are not aware of that, it's time to begin.
I left the private school because of the last tuition increase, 20% or $2,000 per child. Cost per year suddenly became $13,000 plus expenses and giving per child, after taxes. Considering the fact that I live in what is considered to be one of the finest public districts in the state, maybe the best, and paying property taxes which exceed most people's income taxes, we decided to make the change.
Back to parental participation, my children are intelligent and indoctrinated into good study habits. It was our responsibility to see that those were maintained. The system offered higher levels of education for those willing to work, and we enrolled in those programs. As well, we insisted on extra-curriculars which the school offers in abundance.
The atmosphere is one of personal independence, very much unlike the private system. Here one must make his own decisions and be responsible for the same, there isn't anyone leading the class along step by step throughout the day. I understand why people who graduate from these systems are more likely to become independent authoritative figures later in life.
The system is also everything that you want to make it. It's easy to get by and most students do, but that's no different than real life. When considering the overall perspective, it really is more like real life.
Godspeed, The Dilg