Yup. Of course, there were a lot of differences, but it can be done. Unfortunately I don’t think you can walk back from where we are. The system has real problems, but so does the culture. It’s like trying to make a good product when the factory is bad AND the raw material is bad, and the templates are bad.
The real problem is that everyone wants schools to do what they should not. They want them to educate kids (not the major function by any means anymore)/ provide daycare/ provide jobs for adults/ and other things. Schools did a good job when the only real thing they were expected to do was teach kids. Anything else was gravy.
In my great grandmother’s day, teachers were primarily paid in room and board.