Honestly, the problem is a collection of so many problems that it's very difficult to really even assess the situation properly. It could be the overemphasis on

Honestly, the problem is a collection of so many problems that it's very difficult to really even assess the situation properly. It could be the overemphasis on standardized testing. It could be the lack of support teachers get in inner cities and the fact that they have to babysit 50% of the time. It could be the public school system's unwillingness to adapt. It could be the unions fighting tooth and nail to prevent more charter schools from opening. It could even be the charter schools not actually working! Personally, I think the problem is that the public school system can't work well enough in poor areas. I think those children need a completely different education system to work for them (longer hours, after school programs, school uniforms!, etc).