Actually, it might seem unduly harsh to say that the US education system was deliberately set up to produce the results we see. If the Gentle Reader prefers, than I submit Jerry Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy (see Wikiquote) as a way out of the apparent malice:
Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representatives who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions.
While the above may still seem to be somewhat malicious, I will carry the point further and remind everyone that it is better not to ascribe to malice what may just as easily be ascribed to incompentence. Or, for that matter, the Law of Unintended Consequences.