Palmetto Proving Grounds

Let me jump in since I am a USC grad living in Milwaukee.

I can tell you it is not that bad. No we do not have the great February/March/April weather as South Carolina does and are the women are not as gorgeous. However, they can out drink and out swear many a man. The summers are beautiful and the beer is good. Plus the football knowledge of UW fans is solid even if it is Big Ten country.

The rankings are based on statistics which can be manipulated to create one conclusion or another. Overall education is an issue across the country not just in the South or the Midwest.

Ouch. You are correct. I was educated in sc public schools

For you too.

"Theirs should never have an apostrophe. The idea that theirs needs an apostrophe comes out of the fact that on virtually every other word, 's indicates possession, so English speakers sometimes think theirs should be spelled their's. However, this is always incorrect - theirs is the only correct spelling."

Your friend is an idiot who probably believes carrying an umbrella to work causes rain.

As an educator, I believe that the main goal of education is to teach the student how to be a procductive citizen in the society that he lives. All students have different goals and abilities. Every student is not college material. Many students find technical education better suites them. High stakes testing is only one assessment and should not be given as much credibility as it has.

How exactly does a state prevent students from taking a test administered by a private company?

I'm fairly sure that often used excuse is without merit.

It is just as verifiable as the claim by uscmainman, or the one made by the friend of the OP.

Well that is just silly.

Based on posters' comments, which I have not verified and apparently, neither have you, the state doesn't prevent anyone from taking a test administered by a private company. The school systems do not provide certain students the opportunity to take said test based on merit. Those students are allowed to take said test on their own, if they chose to do so and their scores are not counted within their school system's data.

Edit: how is that an "often used excuse"? Your passive aggressiveness leads one to assume you wouldn't include that in your formation of an opinion, especially if true.

Do you happen to have a link to a study or reputable publication that verifies your information?

Well, your assertion is false. I guess you have no desire in accepting the facts which have been laid out in this thread very nicely.

The "northern" teacher unions have mandated that only college preparatory students take SAT/ACT testing. The primary reason? So they "look" to be doing a better job educating their children. It is a falsehood produced by the union.

SC, on the other hand, makes no such requirement. Our students, regardless of race, gender, economic station or high school curriculum, are allowed (and in many cases encouraged) to take the testing. Common sense dictates that our scores will be lower than a state which only allows college prep students to be examined.

Nearly my entire family is in education. My wife is a principal. To suggest that they, and our state leaders, place less importance on education than other states is not only insulting, it is asinine.

The link Gwinnett provided earlier clearly and correctly explains the discrepancies.

This link should answer some of the participation by state questions.

south carolina doesn't alloow public unions because we like democracy. See this very relevant short article from a couple days ago titled "Why FDR Warned Against Public Unions.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/02/18/the-first-blow-against-public-employees/fdr-warned-us-about-public-sector-unions

To the OPs point, to say SC's SAT scores lag behind Wisc, etc. because we aren't allowed to have public unions is ignorant. It's may be just as provable our lagging test scores are caused by colder weather as by public union presence. Seriously.

And ertman it's really not that complicated imo. The governor is crapping on unions because that's what he campaigned on and that's what wisconsin's voters expected when they elected him. Elections have consequences. Crapping on unions is his job.