I love Sherman Alexie, so I was excited to listen to this piece even if it did mean having to suffer through Inskeep's cackling.
I am somewhat heartened by this story, even if the Texans are calling it "disrespect" rather than a risk to the environment... whatever gets it done, so whatever gets these landowners angry.
My favorite part of this story is that the professor started to research this important topic because she wanted to understand an issue important to some of her students. Being able to look outside of one's own experience is powerful... and unfortunately rare.
This story, in full below, points to several problems with programs that are well-intentioned, poorly financed and then harshly judged. Political solutions to educational issues will rarely be successful in my opinion...
Graduation Initiative Fell Shy of Goal
Colleen Heild / Journal Investigative Reporter/Published: Oct 14, 2012
The biggest new initiative funded through the governor's $58 million federal stimulus cache produced mostly meager results. The Graduate New Mexico program, which received the second largest chunk of the governor's discretionary funds, was designed to recruit 10,000 high school dropouts by fall 2011 to earn high school diplomas. But that didn't happen, according to the state Public Education Department. "While there is some success, it's clear Graduate N.M. didn't even come close to its goal," said PED spokesman Larry Behrens. "It appears the willingness to spend dollars was greater than the desire for student success." Of the 763 students recruited over a two year period, Behrens said, only 83 graduated. The initiative, first unveiled in August 2009, aimed to either recruit dropouts to return to school or get them on track for an equivalent certification. Richardson originally allocated about $9.4 million for the project, but later reduced the funding to about $8.3 million. Martinez, who took office in January 2011, scaled back that appropriation to $6.3 million. The Lograr Institute, a statewide initiative that is no longer active, received a total of about $1.2 million to help recruit Hispanic students to return to school. The institute was to contract with nonprofit organizations or government entities in New Mexico. "They'll be beating the bushes, finding out where (dropouts) are, assisting them, convincing them to go back, setting them up with scholarships - maybe from the business community - mentoring, study aids, getting parents involved," Joel Nudi, then director of Graduate New Mexico and special projects manager for PED told the Journal in late 2010. The program was to spend $111,000 of its stimulus money on an annual report card, but PED officials could find "no evidence of annual report card being developed," Behrens said. One aspect of the program was to expand an existing program called IDEAL NM, Innovative Digital Education and Learning. And that is "still benefiting many students," Behrens said, adding that 191 students completed courses digitally who might not have done so otherwise. Former Gov. Toney Anaya, who headed the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment until December 2010, recalled that the initiative required PED to develop "a whole infrastructure." "I don't think that the time and money that was required to develop this ‘infrastructure' is what was contemplated when the program was touted to (Richardson)," he added. Anaya said he suspected the number of graduates was higher than 100. He said other aspects of the initiative, such as training of school personnel and others, will "continue to pay dividends into the future."
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