Teachers Salary

I think you're right that it's far more complicated than teacher pay. But on that same point, it isn't just "a parental problem." It really is a multi-headed monster.

But I bet that if you did go to those schools, pay the teachers a good bit more, but also focus on better facilities, with better programs and assets, and a focus on new methods to ensure parental participation - and stuck with it long enough to give it a real chance - you might see some change.

I think you're right that simply raising pay isn't going to do much. You have to attack a multi-faceted problem with a multi-faceted solution. But you have to start somewhere. There places all around this country where dedicated, creative individuals implemented innovative, multi-faceted solutions with great success. Education has always sort of been that way. The real hall-of-famers in the world of education were people who approached problems in education with innovative new ideas.