The Price of Educational Failure
Today, the hopes of many parents and dreams of children are put in South Carolina's public schools. The failure of our schools to do their part in building a highly educated workforce has mounting consequences. Within the next two decades, South Carolina will experience lower standards of living, poorer health, higher crime rates, less community engagement and deteriorating social conditions. In fact, some of these social conditions are already tantamount in many of our communities.
Race, ethnicity and income are still the determining factors in student outcomes in South Carolina's public schools: the lives of Black children are blighted by the failure of South Carolina's public schools to eradicate the achievement gap. Just last week, the SAT scores were released by the Department of Education, indicating a decline in eight (8) points from the previous year. (2005-combined score 993, 2006 combined score 985). Conversely, the disparity was even greater for Black students.
The price of educational failure will continue to grow until the citizens of South Carolina exchange the endless reform of public schools--reform that has failed to provide improvement in the overall quality of public education--for fundamental changes in how public education is delivered.
The citizens of South Carolina can no longer afford to pay the price exacted by public schools today. The cost is paid in opportunity: personal dreams, economic growth, and quality of life. To create a system of education that offers opportunity to all children, the citizens of South Carolina in particular African-American citizens, because our children are carrying the brunt of the burden, must choose educational choice. Equal Opportunity in Education, also known as school choice, is a "concept" that is intellectually superior, morally essential, and experientially successful.
Dr. Taliaferro
Race, ethnicity and income are still the determining factors in student outcomes in South Carolina's public schools: the lives of Black children are blighted by the failure of South Carolina's public schools to eradicate the achievement gap. Just last week, the SAT scores were released by the Department of Education, indicating a decline in eight (8) points from the previous year. (2005-combined score 993, 2006 combined score 985). Conversely, the disparity was even greater for Black students.
The price of educational failure will continue to grow until the citizens of South Carolina exchange the endless reform of public schools--reform that has failed to provide improvement in the overall quality of public education--for fundamental changes in how public education is delivered.
The citizens of South Carolina can no longer afford to pay the price exacted by public schools today. The cost is paid in opportunity: personal dreams, economic growth, and quality of life. To create a system of education that offers opportunity to all children, the citizens of South Carolina in particular African-American citizens, because our children are carrying the brunt of the burden, must choose educational choice. Equal Opportunity in Education, also known as school choice, is a "concept" that is intellectually superior, morally essential, and experientially successful.
Dr. Taliaferro
posted by Dr. Taliaferro at 6:23 PM
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