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It's true that teachers' groups are (generally) not asking the best teachers to go to the worst schools. .... And a major reason is the Bush "No Child Left Behind" scheme. One of the major elements of the Bush scheme is that money will be taken away from schools with low-scoring students and diverted to schools whose students already test well. It's a device that seems to defy logic, and it definitely discourages teachers and administrators from sticking with a school that presents a "challenge".

Teachers who hope for promotions and pay increases will shy away from schools with poor track records, schools in poverty pockets, and the like. Because going where the need is greatest could kill their careers.

Even now we've seen the side effects of the Bush plan. School administrators are so eager that their schools should test well that they've scuttled courses that wouldn't show up on the test - mostly art, vocational prep, some foreign languages and sports, some of the tougher science and math courses, etc. - and dumped the teachers for those courses - and turned the whole school into a giant cram course for the Bush tests (several commercial contract tutoring groups have sprung up to take the schools' money in order to direct these cram course programs). The damage done by this scheme will last for decades.

Because going where the need is greatest could kill their careers.

Yes, and another reason why their careers can be killed in those schools is because of baseless litigation against the teacher. FL is the only state that has a state law protecting all teachers, union or not, with liability insurance for free, in case the teacher is sued while doing his or her job correctly. Gov Bush was smart to protect all teachers here against such litigation, but no other governor has done so as far as I know.

School administrators are so eager that their schools should test well that they've scuttled courses that wouldn't show up on the test - mostly art, vocational prep, some foreign languages and sports, some of the tougher science and math courses, etc. - and dumped the teachers for those courses - and turned the whole school into a giant cram course for the Bush tests (several commercial contract tutoring groups have sprung up to take the schools' money in order to direct these cram course programs). The damage done by this scheme will last for decades.

Yeah, some damage, the kids might actually learn something useful. Why worry about Art and other courses if the kids cant read and write at the 5th grade level when they "graduate" from High School.