Lol. Who wants anyone to go to Harvard? What to get brainwashed and/or fast-tracked into a rapacious banking cabal?
Instead of saying 'public education' try the phrase 'government school'. And yes, government school is in big trouble. It sits at the nexus of corrupt 'public' unions, disintegrating families, unfettered immigration, and financial predation. It can't cope. So its students (if you can call them that) go forth into the world without a clue and then they breed. This results in a new generation of students and teachers (again, terms used loosely) who shepherd the failing and ill-advised system until the vicious cycle repeats ad nauseam.
Lots of passionate teachers working in non-government schools -- often achieving somewhat better results. Unfortunately still sending kids to Harvard. But the question isn't about passion or effort or anything. It is about the fact that sane people flee sinking ships -- and that's precisely what government schools have become.