Educational achievement differences across the 50 states are not primarily due to differences in the quality of schools in those states. Students in California now rank near the bottom in both reading and math. That was not true a few decades ago, and I don't think it was because the teachers or curriculum in California deteriorated more than in the rest of the country during that time span.
I can only answer this by saying that California teachers are generally well-paid and that the "teachers are underpaid" argument holds no water in this state. The teachers in our district average $75K per year. That's a good salary. If two teachers were married, they'd be earning enough to put them solidly in the upper middle class, even in a pricey place like the Bay Area.
I wonder if we simply expect too much of many students. Many or most students are simply not bright enough to complete a college education in a traditional subject area like English, history, or a STEM field. They get degrees in subjects that are often tickets to low wages and student debt.
In addition, poverty and poor healthcare contribute to poor school performance. Schools can't fix that, but we as a nation blame them for the problems that result from them on the one hand and don't seem to want to take steps to fix the problems on the other hand.
Bad textbooks don't help, either. Especially bad math textbooks, but I've already commented on that problem.
