Jan 18 2007
Governor calls for Lamboughini of high school systems
In his state of the state address, RINO Gov. Tim Pawlenty laid out a new plan that, despite his RINO status, makes common sense on the topic of education.
Calling Minnesota’s schools “obsolete,” Gov. Pawlenty called for an overhaul of secondary education that emphasizes rigor, relevance and results, an agenda that includes transforming some (not all) of the state’s high schools into “rigorous academies” that would deliver private school results from public institutions.
That high-performance high school agenda includes requiring four years of a second language, as well as a boosted emphasis on math, science, technology and engineering. The new agenda would also have high school graduates completing the equivalent of their first year of college prior to getting their high school diploma.
While such an aggressive agenda is sure to upset all the usual suspects - especially teacher’s unions - it is a forward-looking agenda designed to help Minnesota students compete better not only in the US, but with students from other top-performing academic countries.
Of course, the Red Star and Sickle immediately leaped into action to criticize an agenda that, had it been uttered by a Dmeocrat, they would have immediately embraced, seeking out the most outspoken liberal students and teachers, just to get their agenda across.
The usual suspects answered the call of Pravda Minneapolis with the predictable comments about being insulted that the governor called their schools “obsolete,” citing Minnesota’s rank near the top of the US in test scores and graduation rates.
But the truth is, RINO Gov. Pawlenty is right for once; to stay on top, Minnesota can’t compare itself just to other US states in academic performance, when nationally academic performance is falling off and can’t even meet the demands of No Child Left Behind in many cases.
One ought not wait until Minnesota falls to the academic standard level of Arkansas before calling for changes and improvements. After all, what offers a better return on investment: a graduating class ready to start degrees in technology and prepared for high-tech jobs at IBM and other top firms, or graduating classes that, after four years of high school and a college degree to their credit, can only manage to hold down a retail job selling Christian gifts?
While there’s nothing wrong with working retail, it’s not a career track to supporting a family.
