Racing to the middle by Katie Norwood - posted Wednesday, November 14th, 2012 @ 6:49 am  E-mail Story |  Print Story  The many new reforms from the Department of Education and Gov. Bobby Jindal's abysmal plan for the school system make it seem like the blame for the state's low academic standing should be placed squarely on the shoulders of its teachers. The plans for next school year were not restructured to better fit today's student, nor has any money been rededicated to secure the kind of professionals it takes to compete with other countries on an academic level. Rather, responsibility for academic achievement has been shifted from students and their parents to teachers who will be compensated and promoted based on their pupils' standardized test scores — also known as merit pay. But this oversimplified "cure" for what ails the education system is just a means to a political end. ...... For the full story, subscribe to the The Franklin Sun's NEW E-Edition!