South Carolina received high marks on a national education report card released on Thursday – at least until you got to the part of the report card that actually measures student achievement.
According to Education Week‘s annual “Quality Counts” study, South Carolina’s “status” grade for K-12 achievement was an “F,” but the Palmetto State received an overall “D” grade for K-12 achievement thanks to a “C” grade in “equity,” which we presume is a measure for how evenly our state spreads around its epic failure.
Anyway, South Carolina – which shelled out a record $12,258 per pupil ($8.4 billion total) on its public school system a year ago – received an “A” grade for teacher pay, facilities and academic standards, according to the report, although educrats are currently attempting to dumb down our standards in an effort to fool parents into thinking more children are passing.
Other recent data paints a dismal picture of South Carolina’s K-12 system.
For example, our overall graduation rate remains among the worst in the nation – which is consistent with our state’s declining SAT and ACT scores. South Carolina’s rural graduation rate ranks dead last.
Nonetheless, embattled S.C. Superintendent of Education Jim Rex took a victory lap.
“So many times we hear from critics that our public school system is last in the nation, but this report and others like it are helping to dispel that myth,” Rex said in a statement. “Quality Counts is highly regarded because it uses original research with information from a variety of sources to produce its rankings.”
Education reform advocates weren’t buying it.
“We hear a lot about budget problems and high standards, but that is a distraction,” said Randy Page, President of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, an education advocacy organization in Columbia. “Last school year public schools spent an average $12,258 per student. If that much money cannot produce a world class education then there is a huge problem with the system itself.”
WEB EXTRA
By Homeschool Mom January 14, 2010 at 1:59 pm
So in all actuality, we get an F. Rex is an idiot. I think he convinces himself that his lies are the truth. And it says something about the “highly regarded” Quality Counts that they are willing to grade on a curve just to soften the blow for leaders in states like ours. That is solely for their own benefit, since it endears them to all concerned in the education bureaucracy.
By Hmmmmm January 14, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Using the figures supplied of $12,258 per student – that means the state spends more than $150,000 to get a child from 1st to 12th grade. That’s a hell of a cost. And what do we get?? Still failing schools and Administrators crying for more money.
I think ALL public education employees should be placed on an incentive plan. Place ALL teachers on a base salary plan depending on years of teaching, to be re-hired or to get a raise or bonus each teacher is evaluated according to whether their students succeed. The same goes for ALL administrators all are placed on the SAME base salary then their “bonus” is evaluated by how many teachers succeed. And Administrators are rehired based on the success of the school system they oversee.
Instead of the current “employed for life or unless you molest a student” system we have now.
Additionally our “public” education system needs competition to make them step up to the plate and get better. So give parents the option as to where they want to spend their $12,258 – private or public schools. If parents had the options then public schools would either get better or get out of the business.
There is no Private business that could continue to perform with this abysmal history as the SC school system has. Hell our SC School motto has always been “at least we arent Mississippi!!”
By clay January 14, 2010 at 3:03 pm
I’m getting an MBA for $5,000 a year over a three year timeline. Yea, $12,00 is plenty.
By clay January 14, 2010 at 3:05 pm
$12,000….you would think I knew how to type. Yes- I did graduate from a SC school, so i’ll use that as excuse.
By Old Bike Dude January 14, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Check out the full grade here.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2010/17src.h29.html?intc=ml
I’ll not throw the bullshit flag because I understand your penchant for private schools and their candy ass sports programs but they do serve a valuable service as an adjunct to public schools after all there’s nothing like finishing ball practice and heading on over to the “academy” and loadin’ up on the uppity chicks. Makes for a well rounded ass education.
By ohara January 15, 2010 at 12:57 pm
We need to look at alternate systems for education. Finland, Japan & South Korea have the highest test scores for students. Finland “has more graduates than any other country and its 15-year-olds are the best at solving maths problems, according to the latest education survey by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/sep/25/schoolsworldwide.schools
That being said, those students in the Far East show a lower propensity for analytical problem solving, & Japan is losing it’s high rank to India.
The Fins spend an average of $7,500 per student per year. No sports, no after school activities, no prom. Kids stay in the same school from 1st grade to high school.
Not everything they use can be applied to US schools, but there is a great deal that can transfer.
Hire the Fins to retool our educational system, but better warn them about the Corridor of Shame-no one can believe it’s real until they see it.
More on the Finnish school system via WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120425355065601997.html?mod=loomia&loomia_si=t0:a16:g4:r2:c0:b0#printMode