In our public schools, is it money, text books, supplies, or something other the problem of dumbing down?

In the 40's I attended one of the last of the one-room schools in New York. We worked math and other lessons on the blackboard and hand held slate at our desks. We did not waste notebooks or notebook paper with scribble if we could help it, and made use of the loose-leaf. We even reinforced the punched out holes. We were not forced to share our personal school items, but did it willingly at our own choice because we worked in harmony with a fair sense of friendly competition. Fairness was the extent of our behavior management, or life style training, and if we were told to be silent and did not respect the teacher, our parents were notified and when we became uncontrollable, at some point after, worse things could befall us. They made good use of the threat to be sent to reform school, as you were probably on your way to a criminal career anyway. Some that maybe were still redeemable and of age might be offered the choice of the jail or the army.