Steve Abrams is running for another term on the state board. There's a group of people organized to recruit moderate candidates to replace the conservatives and I'm sure Abrams is a target. http://www.ksalliance.org/.
He beat Tim Aiken of Derby in 2004 in the Republican primary. Word is that Aiken might run again. He'd probably be better off running as a Democrat — the social conservatives are hard to beat in primaries.
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oooooooohhh....this could be a nail biter. I thought I would put a post on here since you don't have any. starting to feel sorry for you since James gets all the attention.
"College prep courses are OK for college-bound students but only 20 percent of our students need to have a baccalaureate or higher degree."
It is really surprising that the U.S has now 24% with baccalaureate degrees and even more with associate degrees, but Abrams is proposing that Kansans only need 20%.
Kansas now has 25% with bachelor's degrees (2000 census).
The state board of education has been a giant embarrassment with their mis-handling of science and now Abrams is going to promote even less college education for Kansas students. Is this really the guy to make the decisions for educating Kansas kids?
This is adding wacky to goofy. We should change the slogan to "Kansas, the huckleberry state".
If you count all college, associate degrees (about 1/4 the number of baccalaureate) plus those who attempt degrees but do not complete, for one reason or another, the entry into college would be about 25%+7%*1.5 = 48% in order to get the 25% we have now.
In 2007, the U.S. census bureau released data indicating people with college degrees made $54,689 per year and $29,448 for those with a high school diplomas only.
49% of all 18 and 19 year olds were enrolled in college in 2005, nationwide, yet Abrams is saying all Kansas needs is 20%.
There should be some type of qualification test required before running for state ed. These decisions will effect the future and and national reputation of Kansas.
You may not get as much attention as James but I do think he is a bit "off the wall" with some of his blogs. Trouble is like s**t the more you stir it the more it stinks! And James sure knows how to stir it!
Ok, don't care much about those statistics, but I think Abrams is on to some pretty good ideas. I have even had some similiar thoughts, not that I don't want my kids to have a college education, but not every kid fits the same mold. I would think the idea here is to find ways to keep these kids in school, to get them to graduate. Dare I say that, at least if we can get that high school diploma in hand, they can pick up on college courses in college. Well here is a statistic that just recently came out, apparently the drop out rate has INCREASED nationally, not decreased. Sooo....it seems something is not working any more.I venture to say the "No Child Left Behind Act" may be SOME of the problem. I can see the frustration that some of the kids have with keeping up on those standards. I have a pretty decent career myself and it sure doesn't require me to know College Algebra!
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