Aiming to help the kids in the middle
Garrison Keiler (sp) has a tag line on his NPR program "Lake Woebegon" "Where all our kids are above average."
The simple fact is that a sizeable amount of kids in any school ARE average in abilities. Not everyone qualifies for advanced placement or college prep courses, nor does everyone need the extra attention of special education classes.
Finally, here's a Washington Post article about some good teachers who're looking to improve the education of the kids in the middle. Good for them!