Sam Blumenfeld, a pioneer in the modern homeschool movement, dedicated most of his adult life warning people about the evils of government schools and promoting the use of intensive phonics. He based his conclusion on his research which he presents here in this timeless presentation which he did in the late 1980s:
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/shurtleffhal/episodes/2022-03-04T08_27_11-08_00
Sam rightfully concluded that government schools deliberately dumb-down America’s children. His works can be found on the Sam Blumenfeld Archives, a valuable free resource for homeschoolers, educators, researchers, historians, and people who have active intellects: https://campconstitution.net/sam-blumenfeld-archive/