CB> MS>Student attitude is a major variable, but one beyond the control 
CB> of the 
CB> MS>schools and teachers...and thus beyond the control of 
CB> MS>school reform.  No amount of increased per-pupil spending 
CB> MS>will improve it, and by definition it is beyond the 
CB> MS>control of the teacher.
CB> 
CB> I'm not sure that's true.  If external rewards could be put into 
CB> place 
CB> we could motivate far more of the students than we currently do.  If 
CB> we 
CB> could increase the stakes the kids have in their education, such as 
CB> actually requiring good grades for admission to college, or getting 
CB> employers to give the best jobs to those that do best in school, I 
CB> daresay a lot more kids would do a lot better.
    For the kids least interested in school (and most likely to drop out), 
you'd have the schools and prospective employers in an impossible bidding 
war.  
    What kind of job for a HS grad could outbid crack dealing, when crack 
dealing pays a junior-high dropout over $300/day without taxes? 
    Could colleges _afford_ to reject otherwise-acceptable HS grads just 
because they had mediocre grades, at a time many colleges are in a crunch to 
get freshmen or go broke?  And would any state college following your 
suggestion find itself in an impossible situation on affirmative-action quota 
lawsuits?
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