It also failed: 30% of schools exceeded the 40%-poor-student threshold in 2008.

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Paulo Renato Souza, the education minister, is against them, arguing that the recent rapid expansion in school places, and his scheme to give poor non-whites special access to student loans, will help to correct inequalities.

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If it's a public education, and the school in your district is poor-performing, you should be able to put your student or kid wherever you want.

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During another trip with another alleged victim, the 19-year-old had told him she was a "poor student".

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Policymakers have pushed mostly carrot-and-stick remedies: firing underperforming teachers, giving merit pay to high performers, penalizing schools with poor student test scores.

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