10 basic problems that prevent education systems from regaining its former preeminence:

1. Parents are not involved enough.

2. Schools are closing left and right. 

3. Schools are overcrowded.

4. Technology comes with its downsides.

5. There is a lack of diversity in gifted education.

6. School spending is stagnant, even in improving economies.

7. There is a lack of teacher education innovation.

8. 80 percent of students are graduating high school… yet less than half of these students are ready for what’s next.

9. Some students are lost to the school-to-prison pipeline.

10. There is a college-gender gap, and surprisingly, we are not focusing on it.