Teachers who are held accountable for lackluster student achievement often argue that they are being treated unfairly. After all, what are they supposed to do with students who are either unready or unwilling to learn? We're wary about excuses for poor student achievement but this is not a trivial point. Disturbing news out of New Orleans this week notes that less than 500 of 7,500 eligible students signed up for free after-school tutoring that was available to them under the state's accountability plan under No Child Left Behind. All students of New Orleans' 16 "academically unacceptable" schools are entitled to this program. Indeed the state of Louisiana had threatened to withhold $30 million in federal aid from New Orleans because it was not offering such mandated tutoring in 12 of the failing schools; now that it's being offered, it has a 6.5% participation rate.

Just as with students, it's not easy to get highly qualified teachers into the classroom either. In Palm Beach County, Florida, about 1,500 teachers 15% of the total--are teaching out-of-field or uncertified and are therefore unqualified under the "highly qualified teacher" provision of NCLB. The school district, in trying to improve teacher quality in its worst schools, is offering a $5,000 signing bonus to get teachers into Title I schools. Teachers will also be able to earn their Master's Degree at Nova Southeastern University on the district's dime.