Lake Wobegon in Dorchester District 2

"Well, that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."--Garrison Keillor

You may have imagined Keillor's marvelous place to be somewhere in the Midwest. Not so. It's taken root in Dorchester District 2. 

The Palmetto and Life scholarships were designed for deserving above-average graduating seniors who had a B average or better, a B, of course, defined as "above-average."  It turns out that in Dorchester District 2, over half of its seniors, nearly 60 percent, are above average and thus eligible for these scholarships.

There's one minor hitch in this rosy picture: results on the ACT show that only 35 percent of those seniors are "college ready."

These same students take tests poorly? Then why do they have B averages?

Right. Parents are happy.