…in line for all that “free” federal money. See “State lists ‘lowest-achieving’ schools“, BDN, 3/10/10
Now let’s talk about inversion, perversion, and subduction* (my new favorite word).
The federal government makes money available for “failing” schools. States compete for the money, putting forward their sub-standard candidates. If sucessful, they get the federal money.
So, the feds have incentivized failure. The State participates, willingly, happily.
Wouldn’t it have been refreshing for Maine to say to the feds “Stuff it! We’re not telling any community that their school’s no good. Where they’re inadequate, we’ll fix it on our own. We don’t want your money.”
Instead, we (the State, the DOE) are willing to degrade ourselves, stoop really low, tell students they go to a really (we mean really, really) lousy school, all for money. As the question goes, what does this teach the kids? Answer: everybody has a price. For a price, throw grandma, mom, neighbor, friend under the bus. Valuable lesson.
BTW, money can’t buy love.
Nor success.
Not even close!
*From the OED:
The action of subducting.
1. a. Withdrawal, removal. Now rare. 2. Subtraction, deduction. Now rare. 3. A drawing down or away 4. The action of subduing or fact of being subdued; subdual, subjection. Now rare. 5. ‘A reckoning or account’ (1656 Blount). 6. Geol. The sideways and downward movement of the edge of a lithospheric plate into the mantle beneath a neighbouring plate; subduction zone, a strip along which this is occurring.