Help students find meaning in their studies. Human beings are designed to learn, but they first have to want to learn. Students today often have no idea what they want to do in life and therefore view their studies as pointless. On the other hand, students who have a clear direction in life often perform better in school and enjoy more success in life.
Cut the factory-based model of schooling. Our school system was originally designed around the industrial revolution, with the goal of implementing a factory-type automation to school systems. Unfortunately, this outdated method lacks personalization and often kills creativity and doesn't challenge students to live up to their full potential.
Incorporate advanced learning techniques into the school curriculum. Today's education methods are still very similar to methods used 200 years ago; namely to "cram facts" method. Yet leaps and bounds have been made in mnemonics, speed reading, experiential learning and many other methods for increasing retention and comprehension.
Re-brand the profession of being a teacher as a prestigious position. The two things that need to change are teacher's pay and the seniority model. Today, the more senior a teacher the more respect they have and the less risk they have of losing their tenure. However, the length of time a teacher has been employed often has no correlation to how good they are as a teacher. Teachers need to be rewarded for performance, not length of time served.