As a teacher, I often find myself defending the quality of American education as well so I understand your frustrations. I believe the problem with this debate stems from the fact that there are 2 sides to the coin. On one side, it is true that changes need to be made within our education system. It's outdated in some respects because it was designed for an industrialized nation and not a technological one. Also, the focus needs to be shifted away from standardized testing and more to actual learning and proficiency.

On the other side, there are many great things about our system. The tireless dedication of millions teachers in this country, despite the pay margins, never ceases to amaze me. Our country provides ALL children the opportunity to learn and better themselves. Children in America today are learning at a much faster pace than ever before. I am pretty young, 25, and I teach my middle school students concepts that I never even heard of until high school and sometimes college. More American students are literate and proficient in basic skills than at any other time in history. PLUS, there are some very exciting changes on the horizon for our system. President Obama has talked of restructuring our school year and other fundamental steps to lead us in the right direction to reach our full potential. Bottom line: the system is not perfect (none is), but it's the best it has ever been and is constantly improving.

Also, it does not help to compare American students to other countries who operate on a completely different standard, i.e., certain caliber of students are not allowed to be tested.

To answer your question more specifically, I would just tell the doubters that their pessimism disappoints you, and you wish they had the opportunity and/or mindset to see things as you do. Sadly, you can't convince some people no matter how hard you try. Hopefully, they will see in time that they are wrong, and the kids suffer from this type of negativity.