They will tell you that they are producing well adjusted graduates that will be problem solvers, skilled in conflict resolution, able to work harmoniously, without competition or strife, with a wide range of people in our new global village of the twenty-first century. Our academic elitists may be able to fool some of the people all the time, but they can't fool all the people consistently. And this is why public education has come under scrutiny lately, and the quality of teachers has been questioned. Teachers, of course, have little option but to use teaching methods they have been taught during their training. They are simply not given any alternative teaching methods from which to choose.
Modern educators swear by student-centered learning.
However, it only works for a small minority of students, and the main pack is left behind-confounded and confused, because teachers have not learned how to organize the lessons or teach effectively, using direct instruction. Consequently, public education is in chaos. Parents blame the schools for poor performance. These, of course, only exacerbate the situation, because they fortify the position taken by the bureaucrats in the first place. Their chief function becomes one of helping the policymakers to draft palatable press releases, so policymakers can save face as they capitulate to the demands of the bureaucrats.