I'm sorry but, using my mother as an example, in a single year, my mother elevated inner-city students in English from very low scores to very high scores. I'd need to ask her for specifics; but, the change was incredible. I believe they were getting near highest marks in the area. She demanded a LOT from the students, a truly incredible amount of writing and work. She was very, very hard on her students; but at the same time rewarded achievement greatly and taught in an effective, repetitive way. Years down the road, her old students have repeatedly come back to her, thanking her for her work with them. It is all about the teachers.
If people are sufficiently interested in her method, I might be able to get her to log in to my account (or one of her own), and expound upon her methods of training and relating to the children.
Since I haven't seen many willing parents (indeed in some situations, the parent isn't a positive or even present factor at all), I've only raised up the factor that I've actually seen make a positive change. It's actually the same way for me with computer science. A good first introduction made all the difference in the world.
Guys. Do me a favor; if this is the solution, leave education broken. I'm serious, I'm amazed I haven't already burned out on school work. Even a little bit more and I probably would have by now.