Could a voucher system really be worse than this? It would put all the control back in the hands of the parents. Some would misuse it; we know this. But we have the Internet now. Surely a Yelp-equivalent for voucher schools would quickly identify the good and bad schools. Competition would ensue.
Would it be perfect? No. Some parents would prefer religious indoctrination to actual education. Others simply wouldn't care. But perfection is not the correct standard. What we have now is dismal and getting worse.
The poorly written standardized tests are just a symptom of a system in which many people, with various interests, have a say in what and how children are to be educated. The result is education by committee -- exactly what the OP is complaining about.
A voucher system would render the educational bureaucracy superfluous. Parents who thought their kids were being poorly served could move them to a different school, or start their own school if nothing else were available.
This isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. Some parents home-school now. There already exists a small industry providing them with educational materials.
I know, this is a radical idea. It hasn't caught on in the 20 or so years since it was first seriously floated -- why would it now? But meanwhile the quality of our kids' education continues to spiral downward. I think the only possible solutions will be radical ones.
Would it be perfect? No. Some parents would prefer religious indoctrination to actual education. Others simply wouldn't care. But perfection is not the correct standard. What we have now is dismal and getting worse.