Yes, it was broken when I was an elementary teacher over 20 years ago, and it's even more broken now. I read an article about the adolescent brain recently, and it detailed the importance of teens feeling purpose. Our schools don't provide purpose. They are sheep and robots roaming the halls. I took on a long-term sub gig this past year at a Middle School, which was horrifying. All the classes felt like a boring convention that no one wanted to be at. Kids would walk in, open their computers, stare at the overhead, and pretend to work if they were on the right page. Most were surfing the net, playing games, and watching videos. Then the bell would ring, and it'd be time to repeat at the next class.