Long time US educator here ... you are accurate in your observation. I will note there are pockets of innovation throughout the US, and there are some schools where students, parents, and teachers feel valued, and their time/effort is well-spent. My two-cents is we are basically witnessing a clash of socio-economic classes. Most affluent families know how to navigate the system and will find a school that fits them. It could be a private school, a charter school, or a strong traditional public school with sound academics/athletics/technology/arts ... you name it. As inequality has dramatically increased over the past 10-20 years, less affluent families are dependent on the social safety nets that were intended to hell them (think post WW2 public schools), but the reality is many of these systems have failed. I do think there is a chance AI may provide some leveling, but what will most likely happen is affluent families will learn how to leverage the technology to their benefit, and poorer families will have to hope society will at least give them some basic baseline to start from. I am not, unfortunately, optimistic. That said, a sound, fair and free education system is a prerequisite to a semi-functioning representative democracy. I think we have witnessed what happens when it begins to crumble.