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The Breakdown of Our Public Educational System
An Engineers Prospective
Updated 1-11-2026
Introduction
As a manufacturing engineer, if the data we’re seeing in education reflected assemblies or components, I would immediately shut down the entire production line. In manufacturing, we use the term yield rate to describe how many units meet quality standards. But these aren’t components. These are students. People. The future of our nation.
The Illusion of Success
With the dismal reality that nearly 9 out of 10 U.S. high school students graduate, yet only about one‑third demonstrate proficiency—35% in reading and 33% in math—our educational system has chosen not to confront the crisis head‑on.” Rather than tackling the root causes, we lower the bar — redefining success to disguise failure. Standards are eliminated, and diplomas are handed out to everyone. Teachers feel good because 100% of their students graduate. Students are thrilled to move on. Parents celebrate the milestone. On paper, everything looks fine. But beneath the surface, the system is failing miserably. We’ve traded genuine achievement for the illusion of success.
A System Designed to Fail
The U.S. educational system isn’t a new production line that just needs a few tweaks. The U.S. educational system has been shaped over decades by a revolving cast of leaders and administrators— different faces, perhaps, but the same entrenched dysfunction. And despite all the turnover, the system hasn’t improved; if anything, it’s gotten worse.
The current state didn’t happen by accident, it’s the result of dysfunction, failure, and disregard, deliberately embedded into the system over decades by misguided, incompetent leadership. Imagine a factory where two-thirds of the products are defective. Now imagine that same factory being run by the same career bureaucrats year after year, while the results keep getting worse. The conclusion is hard to avoid: the problem isn’t just the system; it’s the people who designed it and continue to run it. We cannot reasonably expect a broken, dysfunctional system to fix itself under the same leadership that designed and are currently operating it.
School Vouchers
School vouchers are yet another example of our national habit: when we can’t fix something—which seems to be always—we slap on a patch and call it a solution. The truth is, America’s education system isn’t merely broken; it’s a self‑inflicted disaster. Handing out vouchers and making each state responsible for its own public school system only further fragments a system already dysfunctional and in disarray. This is not reform but a continuation of the decay of our national school system. While vouchers may offer a lifeline to a few, they—along with the retreat to state‑by‑state control—will not meaningfully improve educational outcomes for the vast majority of our children but instead plant the seeds for even greater decline.
Providing vouchers is like running a production line where 65% of the output fails quality standards— and instead of addressing and fixing the core process, we keep it running, still funneling the vast majority of students through the same broken system. Meanwhile, we launch smaller, fragmented production lines hoping for better yield rates. But we’ve done nothing to repair the main line. We've abandoned the idea that it's even fixable and placed our bets on side experiments, also with unsure and unequal outcomes, while the bulk of our children remain stuck in failure know as our public educational system.
A Manufacturing Engineers Solution to Our Primary Education Systems Problem:
As a manufacturing engineer, I’ve spent my career solving complex systems problems- where quality, consistency, and outcomes matter. When I look at the U.S. education system, I don’t see a mystery. I see a broken production line.
If 65% of the output in any factory failed to meet basic quality standards, we wouldn’t call that a challenge— we’d call it a disaster. And we’d shut down the line, diagnose the failure points, and rebuild it until it worked. But in education, we do the opposite. We keep the broken line running, year after year, while launching small side experiments- charter schools, voucher programs, boutique reforms- hoping something will magically fix the yield. It won’t.
Step 1: Evaluate the Entire Operational System
Engineers don’t start with ideology. We start with data. We map the entire process- from early childhood education through high school graduation and identify where the system breaks down. Inputs (students, teachers, curriculum, funding), outputs (literacy, graduation rates, workforce readiness), and yield (how many students meet standards) must all be measured. If the majority of students are failing, the system, not the students, is broken.
Step 2: Root Cause Analysis
We don’t blame the product; we analyze the process. Using tools such as Pareto charts, fishbone diagrams, and comparative analysis, we isolate the real causes: outdated curricula, inadequate teacher support, bloated administration, lack of accountability, and misaligned incentives. In doing so, we separate symptoms from root causes.
Step 3: Identify What Works- and Copy Exactly
In manufacturing, when we discover a process that consistently produces high yield, we replicate it exactly and implement it system‑wide. Education should be no different. If a school, district, or program delivers high‑quality outcomes, we document it, validate it, and replicate it — not partially, not selectively, but in full. We copy the curriculum, the teacher training, the administrative structure, the feedback loops — everything. This is how world‑class factories operate. And it is how world‑class education systems must operate too.
Step 4: Continuous Process Improvement
Once the best model is copied across the system, we don’t stop there. We build in feedback loops. As improvements are discovered- through data, innovation, or frontline feedback- we update the master model. And every school using the “copy exactly” system gets updated too. This ensures consistency, scalability, and continuous improvement.
Step 5: Stop Betting on Side Lines
Handing out school vouchers while leaving the main system broken is like building side production lines while the core one keeps failing. It’s not scalable. It’s not sustainable. And it doesn’t fix the problem. We must repair the main line first—then optimize alternatives.
We don’t need more ideology. We need engineering. We need systems thinking, root-cause analysis, and a relentless focus on outcomes. The education of our children is too important to leave to political guesswork. It’s time to treat it like the mission-critical system it is- and rebuild it like engineers.
The Case for Cameras in Classrooms
You Can’t Fix What You Can’t See
High school test scores are like final inspections in manufacturing—they show the outcome, not the cause. To fix a system, you need visibility throughout the process. Imagine being hired to troubleshoot a failing production line, but you’re not allowed to observe the process. It’s a black box. Inputs go in, defective outputs come out, and no one can explain why. In any real-world environment, that would be unacceptable. Transparency is non-negotiable.
The Case for Cameras in Classrooms
Professional sports teams record every game to analyze performance and improve strategy. Doggie daycares offer live feeds so owners can check on their pets. Hospitals and surgical centers routinely record procedures for training and accountability. Retail stores and banks rely on cameras to ensure safety and monitor operations. Even warehouses and logistics companies use video systems to track workflow and reduce errors. If so many industries depend on cameras to maintain standards, efficiency, and safety, don’t our children deserve at least the same level of care and scrutiny in their classrooms?
The Solution Independent Classroom Data Collection, Analysis, and Reporting
How It Could Work
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Data Collection:
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Classroom cameras operate in a default recorded mode, storing footage for later analysis.
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In the event of an emergency, any teacher can flip a switch that instantly shifts cameras into live‑stream mode, activating real‑time feeds to law enforcement and notifying authorities of the situation.
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Student performance metrics (test scores, participation, engagement)
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Teacher practices (instructional methods, classroom management)
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Environmental factors (noise levels, attendance, resource use)
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Analysis & Compilation:
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Aggregate the data into dashboards for administrators and policymakers
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Identify trends (e.g., which teaching methods correlate with higher engagement)
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Flag anomalies (e.g., classrooms where students consistently underperform)
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Identity & Governance:
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Operates independently of the school to avoid bias
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Access controlled — parents receive summarized reports, not raw footage
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Protects teacher and student privacy while still offering transparency
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Benefits
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Classroom data allows teaching styles and methods to be evaluated in meaningful ways. Teachers can be coached and trained based on real evidence, while also reviewing their own approaches in comparison to peers. By linking instructional methods with student performance data, educators gain a powerful new source of insight that helps everyone—teachers, administrators, and policymakers—work toward better outcomes for students.
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Evidence‑based improvements mean schools would finally have the information they need to support teachers effectively. With classroom recordings and detailed performance reports, administrators could see not just outcomes, but the teaching styles and methods behind them. This data would highlight which approaches lead to stronger student engagement and higher test scores, and where adjustments are needed. Teachers themselves could review their own practices, compare them with peers, and receive targeted coaching or training. Instead of relying on anecdotes or assumptions, schools would have a new, objective source of insight—one that empowers educators, informs policy, and ultimately drives better outcomes for students.
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Safety: Recorded footage supports long‑term analysis, while the emergency live‑feed option ensures immediate law enforcement response when needed.
Beyond Reform: Safety and Accountability
Classroom cameras are not only a tool for educational reform but also a safeguard for student and teacher safety. In an era of rising school security concerns, the ability to activate live feeds during emergencies could help law enforcement respond faster and save lives. Yes, there will be resistance—privacy concerns, union pushback, cultural discomfort—but without visibility, we cannot improve outcomes or ensure safety. This is not about surveillance. It is about accountability, insight, and the courage to confront uncomfortable truths.
A View from the Outside
We’re not just looking at statistics—we’re looking at the future of our nation. If students can’t meet minimal academic requirements, they’re not prepared for college or the workforce. They lack the tools to build a stable life or contribute meaningfully to society. This isn’t a technical failure. It’s a national one. And the consequences echo far beyond the classroom.