Captain Kirk, do you see the disconnect? Or does it really matter? NC?s Fiscal Research Division presented the ?Education Budget Overview? yesterday to members of the General Assembly. The state?s spending on K-12 education is higher than ever. Including local governments? contribution, spending for 2006-07 is nearly $12 billion. For this price tag let?s look at the educational outcomes ? North Carolina?s 2004 graduation rate is 64 percent (lower than national average). Out of 100 ninth graders, 42 go to college, but only 19 obtain a degree after SIX years.
Never mind the discrepancies between the percentage of students considered proficient on state tests versus NAEP? Or the wide academic gaps between groups of students?
But don?t worry; Kirk?s editorial SHOULD make us all feel better since we have been investing in National Board Certification. However, Gov. Mark Sanford thinks differently. Recently in an Education Week article the South Carolina Governor is facing reality.
?In what would be a first among states, the governor of South Carolina is calling for lawmakers there to ax incentives for teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, arguing there is little evidence that board-certified teachers improve student performance any more than their peers without the credential.”
Money does matter, but HOW you spend money matters more!
