An article in the Rockdale Citizen just came out and got a comment:
Why isnt this newspaper doing stories on candidates from Douglas county or Fulton County? Oh... I guess it is because this is the ROCKDALE Newspaper. So why are you doing a story on a Henry County representative? Also, All High schools are required to publish graduations rates so he definitely doesn't have a clue about what he is talking about. Just a typical Democratic scatterbrain hoping to push innuendo and false generalized mudslinging in a hope get votes from people who don't use logic.
The comments left me to 1000 words, I don't have a blog set up on my campaign website yet, and i'm on the fly so here is my response....
First, State Senate District 17 crosses a number of counties (Henry, Newton, Walton, Rockdale, Spalding). You can find a map here: http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/senate/district17.htm
The accuracy of our graduation rates and how we count high school graduates has been in question for a number of years. Jay Greene at the Manhattan Institute (who is definitely not a hair brained liberal) has written on this subject for a while http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/greene.htm
Many experts found that reported "graduation rates" were not accurate and were inflating the numbers. With no child left behind they finally required a common formula--the accuracy of that formula is still in question. But lets move past the question of how we do accurate longitudinal data collection/reporting for just a second.
Lets assume, as you do, that our graduation rates are 100% accurate--which I question, but will assume for these purposes. Lets say we found a way to improve our schools to the point that we raise our graduation rate to 100%.
Here is my question. If at the same time our Universities continue to do what they are doing now, which is put large percentages of freshman who "graduated high school" into remedial classes would we really have 100% graduation rate or do we have inaccurate data, calculations, and methodology? Currently Georgia spends over $75 million each year to provide community college remediation education for recent high school graduates. There is a disconnect.
So to your point, yes we have a "graduation rate." But if that number is meaningless to employers, universities, and to those of us who want to see if our tax dollars are actually getting the results we expect---then its an utterly useless number. We have to find ways to better measure whats going on in our classrooms. I'm open to hearing your ideas as this is a complex question that many respectfully disagree on.
The challenge in politics with using debates, news articles, and media buys to choose our politicians is that we don't get the time to force our politicians to move past the platitudes and actually dig into the things they are talking about so voters can actually see them in action.
If we did, voters could more accurately determine how those candidate would approach the challenges and obstacles they will face during the session as last minute amendments get tacked onto bills before a vote, or its time to ask important questions during committee hearings or floor debates. Feel free to follow my campaign at www.JimN2010.com host a house party for me, or follow my blog at www.JimNichols4.com if you want to see me in action.
As to your hair brained insight... I'll let the voters decide in July and then November--if I make it into the general-- if that is an accurate description or not.
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