A recent study by the Department of Education found that 31 percent of American students were dropping out or failing to graduate in the nation's largest 100 public school districts.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/print?id=2667532
If there's a will, there's a way to have excellent schools; unfortunately, there is no real will, at the national level, to do what it takes to find teachers who teach, inspire, and encourage kids to be their best.