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August 10, 2005
What is going on in Kansas?
First, steps toward elevating creationism to the level of science (see Kansas Board Advances a Draft Critical of Evolution - New York Times).
Now, this from the
Wichita Eagle - Reading, math standards unattainable, officials say:
The [Kansas] State Board of Education should repeal standards that require all students to achieve reading and math proficiency by 2014, Attorney General Phill Kline said Tuesday.
Not doing so could cost the state an untold amount of money, Kline and the Senate vice president warned.
. . .
Senate Vice President John Vratil, R-Leawood, appearing with Kline, called the standards "unrealistic and unattainable," saying that many of the factors leading to underachievement are beyond schools' control.
"We are setting ourselves up for failure by virtue of the 100-percent-proficiency standard," he said.
He told the board it was not an attempt to "dumb down" the standards to save the state money, as some critics have suggested.
He, of course, then went on to complain about the costs to the state budget.
Yes, Senator Vratil, you are setting yourselves up for failure. Failure to provide an adequate education for your children. Failure to equip them to compete in the new economy. Failure as a local economy stuck in the 19th Century.
I have lots of problems with the standards -- mostly that they are inflexible to meet the needs of the I-Cubed Economy. And they may need to be changed. But to say that these minimum standards are unattainable is simply to give up on our children for political reasons.
Kline said the standards must be changed to preserve legislative and state board control over education policy and spending.
Welcome to the state of ignorance - where politicians are more concerned with preserving control than preparing their children for the 21st Century.
Posted by Ken Jarboe at August 10, 2005 9:35 AM
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