A certain amoount of the responsibility goes to the teachers.

About 30 years ago, I was in charge of an out patient program for adolescent mentally ill clients. The teacher was a very nice, very popular non-white who somehow got through college and was a certified teacher. She could not spell or do math. Her other skills were questionable. She was lazy to the bone.

When the entire program was being cut back, the decision was made [over my strong objections] to retain her and get rid of the hard working, non-degreed program assistant [who was also a minority].

I found it incomprehensible then that the decision could be made to keep the incompetent in favor of the competent.

The administrators are as responsible as the teachers in defining what is acceptable work, both from teachers and students.