I think saying educators here is a bit misleading.
As you said, this is a systemic issue - it is often administrators and the system they report to that causes students to be passed when they shouldn't be. Lots of times teachers know and don't want to pass the kid, and they are passed anyway by admin.
Perhaps the school board has decided to not let anyone teach phonics or they have to teach it AND sight words or they can't spend as much time on the phonics, maybe because the sight words are on the standardized test whose scores affect our school ratings, funding, etc. (A drop in phonics for sight word curriculum instead is a HUGE factor in this crisis)
Teachers are not solely responsible for this problem. In fact so many teachers are aware of the literacy crisis and doing what they can. But they only have so many hours in a day, they have other content they are responsible for teaching (or they'll get fired - their students' test scores on certain tests can affect their employment also), large class sizes, behavioral issues, and more. They are just one person - trying to make up for literal years of literacy skills in one school year, for the students in the class that need it while still trying to teach their normal content and differentiate instruction for the students that don't. If they even can teach, because they might just be managing behaviors the whole time because admin doesn't do anything about that either.
Depending on their subject they might have 100+ students, and they still have to take attendance, fill out the IEP paperwork, contact home, fill out behavioral forms, grade, create content, etc. Many teachers are flying blind here - the college programs that are supposed to prepare them for teaching didn't prepare them for the literacy crisis. So now they have to seek out additional training and education on how to help these students on top of their already packed schedule.
EVEN when you do have a good administration, the parents might throw such a fit the kid gets moved on anyway. Admin also answers to the superintendent and the school board. Most people don't understand just how much power the school board has. The board answers to the laws, the school ratings systems, the need for funding and the funding regulations. And students being held back makes them look bad.
I won't lie, teachers are failing their students in this way. But the fact that's happening isn't actually their fault. The issue is that the students are already so behind, the teacher does not have the time or resources necessary for proper intervention, cries for help about this or for the student often fall on deaf ears, etc. etc. etc.
This is a systemic issue, it is not educators' fault. The system is broken and this is the result
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