I think the point is that the kids below the poverty line are often already failing. In one class I tutor, the teacher allows me to take the students to the library at any time - to actually skip class. If there is a test, she sends them to the library with me (or one of the other tutors) and lets them test later.
Her opinion: they're already so far behind that they're not understanding what's happening in the class.
I don't know if I would approve of this for my kids, but I know this - that no matter what the school does, my kids will succeed. They take my money and give me whatever they give me. I don't have much say beyond stay with the system or leave. But they get the money to spend wisely or squander, either way. I'm pretty sure that the kids who are already failing are not going to be hurt much by this experiment. The AVERAGE black and hispanic graduates HS with the equivalent of an 8th grade education.
