[Lunatic Fringe]

Kinky wants to solve the 'education crisis' by giving teachers more money and not testing the students

You misrepresent his position. The TAKS test is a failure in Texas. The only reason it is implemented is for Federal funding, which Kinky believes is unneccesary. He wants education funded completely from Texas dollars, and he wants to raise pay to attract better teachers.

He recognizes the correlation between education and poverty/crime.

[jf55510]

He wants education funded completely from Texas dollars, and he wants to raise pay to attract better teachers.

Oh, so he wants to give away hundreds of millions of dollars and raise our taxes to cover that gap and to pay for teacher raises. Hooray Kinky...

[penelopesire]

"You misrepresent his position. The TAKS test is a failure in Texas. The only reason it is implemented is for Federal funding, which Kinky believes is unneccesary. He wants education funded completely from Texas dollars, and he wants to raise pay to attract better teachers.

He recognizes the correlation between education and poverty/crime."

Here is his position on education:

Education
Texas has the second-largest population of any state in the country and three of the ten largest cities. That's an awfully big cart to pull with the horsepower we're currently giving our kids in Texas schools. An educated workforce and top-notch schools are essential to keeping our state attractive to new business, but we're failing the test.

Texas has the 8th largest economy in the world, but we're 1st in drop-out rates and 32nd in education spending in the country.

Teachers' salaries in Texas are over $6,000 below the national average. This lack of respect for the people who do our state's most important job must stop. As governor, Kinky will work to make sure that teachers are paid what they're worth. Period.
The TAKS test and its predecessor, TAAS, were invented essentially to make legislators look good on education. But studies show that rigid enforcement of standardized test scores doesn't help kids learn or make teachers more effective. Teach to the test and kids will learn the test—but not much else.

Sorry..I don't see solutions in the diatribe..perhaps i am not misrepresenting him so much as you are projecting your own mirage unto him.

[RobbyS]

I am no fan of TAKS, but that is because of the quality of the test. Abolish it and you will be back to the old system where kids just glide through high school. The SAT is not perfect,; neither is the LSAT or the GRE. The good thing is they give some measure of success. Given that teachers are probably not as well educated as they were fifty years ago, you will continue to get graduates who can't write their own name.