Excellent observations from someone who is in the trenches. Thanks, Jumpin. May I add the obligation (that has been mentioned by other teachers here) to mainstream special education children into the classroom? I believe the idea to be a worthy intent, but the execution of it needs some reconsideration.
In the same regard, I think we have been too long wedded to the notion that if you are age 'x', then you belong in grade 'y'. Anyone in education can tell you that there is a continuum of ability within a specific age group, and to ask an elementary school teacher to teach to the entire bell curve of 20 to 30 six-years-old strikes me as a task doomed to failure.
I would prefer to see teachers with a specialization (Language, Science, Math, etc) teaching children in a class of like abilities, irrespective of their age. (Yes, very "Home on the Prairie" of me). Children often excel in one area and not another over the course of their education. It only makes sense to me that our educators teach to an homogeneous group in terms of ability. No child is left behind and no child is held back as is true with teaching to all children of a given age with a wide range of abilities.
These are just my thoughts that I believe would improve our public school system. I am not a teacher, so please consider my opinions uninformed and worth a good bashing. I will not be offended.
