The "No Child Left Behind" act created a generation of students taught to pass a test rather than learning cultural and scientific concepts. Hell, education in America is way too centered around tests when students should be taught to cultivate their abilities. If a kid can't do a class then they should be allowed to go to other classes that match their abilities.
As I'm in college right now I noticed that the teachers do seem far more passionate about their subject then the teachers of my High School years. Though I noticed this article today that discusses that bad state of adjunct teacher pay, which basically means a part-time and non-tenured instructor, and they make up roughly 70% of the employees in colleges and universities. Many of them are barely making above poverty level income that either forces them to take on multiple classes or juggle teaching at other colleges. But the collleges don't want to pay them a better wage as their looked down upon as only teaching as "a hobby".
Personally, I always thought teaching would be a hard job full of unruly kids and drudgery that I typically associate with parenthood so it was never a career option for me. Teachers should get better pay for their rough job. The only advantage college instructors have over High School teachers is they don't have to put up with unruly kids. The misbehaving ones know their footing the bill and either don't show up or get kicked out.
Really the education system is only a sign of a deeper problem. The corporate takeover of America. I don't blame people for wanting to homeschool their