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Here are three more notable quotes regarding the state of public schools at the time they were published:

"The teaching of reading--all over the United States, in all of the schools, in all of the textbooks--is totally wrong and flies in the face of all logic and common sense. Johnny couldn't read...for the simple reason that nobody ever showed him how. Johnny's only problem was that he was unfortunately exposed to an ordinary American public school...Did you know that the teaching of reading was never a problem anywhere in the world uintil the United States switched to the present system?"

Rudolph Flesch, "Why Johnny Can't Read", 1955.

"It is common knowlege among educators that at least one third of our school children lag behind their age and grade in reading, all the way through school. Thousands emerge from high school totally unable to read and comprehend so much as the daily paper. As for reading for pleasure - only a lucky minority ever learn to do that...It's nothing new, it's been going on for years."

Colliers Magazine, 1946.

"School-days, I believe, are the unhappiest in the whole span of human existance. They are full of dull, unintelligible tasks, unpleasant ordinances, and brutal violations of common sense. It doesn't take a reasonably bright boy long to discover that most of what is rammed into him is nonsense, and that no one cares very much whether he learns it or not. His parents, unless they are infantile in mind, tend to be bored with his lessons and labors, and are unable to conceal it from his sharp eyes...There should be more sympathy for school-children. The idea that they are happy is of a piece with the idea that the lobster in the pot is happy."

H.L Mencken, "The Baltimore Sun", 1928.

"Education does not help weak minds, and is frequently ruinous"
Francesco Guicciardini, ca. 1530.
On a more serious note, Murray and Herrnstein in the beginning of their "Bell Curve" document that the contemporary education - in stark contrast with its previous state - became truly universal and more and more efficient in cognitive selection. Previously many bright people "fell through the cracks", now only [relatively] few. Previously the society had [relatively] few spots for the brights [i.e. there was a large surfeit of them], now - many more.
If one is to accept their position, then it necessarily follows that the contemporary public education has to fulfill qualitatively new task - and abominably fails at it.

"School-days, I believe, are the unhappiest in the whole span of human existance. They are full of dull, unintelligible tasks, unpleasant ordinances, and brutal violations of common sense. It doesn't take a reasonably bright boy long to discover that most of what is rammed into him is nonsense, and that no one cares very much whether he learns it or not. His parents, unless they are infantile in mind, tend to be bored with his lessons and labors, and are unable to conceal it from his sharp eyes...There should be more sympathy for school-children. The idea that they are happy is of a piece with the idea that the lobster in the pot is happy."
H.L Mencken, "The Baltimore Sun", 1928.

I'm not particularly fond of Mencken, but he hit the bullseye on this one.