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Blog that supports USC Aiken APLS494I South Carolina Politics class taught in Summer Session I, 2007
Blog Archive
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2007
(141)
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June
(132)
- Criminal Justice – Question 10
- Criminal Justice – Question 9
- Criminal Justice – Question 8
- Criminal Justice – Question 7
- Criminal Justice – Question 6
- Criminal Justice – Question 5
- Criminal Justice – Question 4
- Criminal Justice – Question 3
- Criminal Justice – Question 2
- Criminal Justice – Question 1
- Education – Question 8
- Education – Question 7
- Education – Question 6
- Education – Question 5
- Education – Question 4
- Education – Question 3
- Education – Question 2
- Education – Question 1
- Human Resource Management – Question 9
- Human Resource Management – Question 8
- Human Resource Management – Question 7
- Human Resource Management – Question 6
- Human Resource Management – Question 5
- Human Resource Management – Question 4
- Human Resource Management – Question 3
- Human Resource Management – Question 2
- Human Resource Management – Question 1
- Planning – Question 19
- Planning – Question 18
- Planning – Question 17
- Planning – Question 16
- Planning – Question 15
- Planning – Question 14
- Planning – Question 13
- Planning – Question 12
- Planning – Question 11
- Planning – Question 10
- Planning – Question 9
- Planning – Question 8
- Planning – Question 7
- Planning – Question 6
- Planning – Question 5
- Planning – Question 4
- Planning – Question 3
- Planning – Question 2
- Planning – Question 1
- Local Government Finance – Question 11
- Local Government Finance – Question 10
- Local Government Finance – Question 9
- Local Government Finance – Question 8
- Local Government Finance – Question 7
- Local Government Finance – Question 6
- Local Government Finance – Question 5
- Local Government Finance – Question 4
- Local Government Finance – Question 3
- Local Government Finance – Question 2
- Local Government Finance – Question 1
- State Budgeting and Finance – Question 7
- State Budgeting and Finance – Question 6
- State Budgeting and Finance – Question 5
- State Budgeting and Finance – Question 4
- State Budgeting and Finance – Question 3
- State Budgeting and Finance – Question 2
- State Budgeting and Finance – Question 1
- Political Parties – Question 6
- Political Parties – Question 5
- Political Parties – Question 4
- Political Parties – Question 3
- Political Parties – Question 2
- Political Parties – Question 1
- Interest Groups – Question 8
- Interest Groups – Question 7
- Interest Groups – Question 6
- Interest Groups – Question 5 (really an update)
- Interest Groups – Question 4
- Interest Groups – Question 3
- Interest Groups – Question 2
- Interest Groups – Question 1
- Special Purpose Districts and Schools – Question 5...
- Special Purpose Districts and Schools – Question 4...
- Special Purpose Districts and Schools – Question 3...
- Special Purpose Districts and Schools – Question 2...
- Special Purpose Districts and Schools – Question 1...
- Counties – Question 9
- Counties – Question 8
- Counties – Question 7
- Counties – Question 6
- Counties – Question 5
- Counties – Question 4
- Counties – Question 3
- Counties – Question 2
- Counties – Question 1
- Municipalities – Questions 7
- Municipalities – Questions 6
- Municipalities – Questions 5
- Municipalities – Question 4
- Municipalities – Question 3
- Municipalities – Question 2
- Municipalities – Question 1
- Local Government – An Introduction -- Question 6
- Local Government – An Introduction -- Question 5
- Local Government – An Introduction -- Question 4
- Local Government – An Introduction -- Question 3
- Local Government – An Introduction -- Question 2
- Local Government – An Introduction -- Question 1
- Judiciary -- Day Two: Evaluating a Judicial TV Ad
- The Judiciary – Question 7
- The Judiciary – Question 6
- The Judiciary – Question 5
- The Judiciary – Question 4
- The Judiciary – Question 3
- The Judiciary – Question 2
- The Judiciary – Question 1
- Blog posting for the second day on the governor
- The Governor – Question 6
- The Governor – Question 5
- The Governor – Question 4
- The Governor – Question 3
- The Governor – Question 2
- The Governor – Question 1
- Blog posting for the second day on the legislature...
- Legislature – Question 8
- Legislature – Question 7
- Legislature – Question 6
- Legislature – Question 5
- Legislature – Question 4
- Legislature – Question 3
- Legislature – Question 2
- Legislature – Question 1
- Constitution -- Question 8
- Constitution -- Question 7
- Constitution -- Question 6
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June
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About The Course and this Blog
- Robert Botsch, USCA Political Science
- I am the one on the right! I have been a professor of political science at USCA since 1978. We will use this blog for class discussion and for posting written assignments that I may make. When you post you may do so using the anonymous profile, but please sign your name to all your posts! Posts are shown REVERSE chronological order. The most recent post is at the top. So READ FROM THE BOTTOM UP in the topics shown in the BLOG ARCHIVE above.
2 comments:
K-12 education is a creation of the community. The local community created their own system and the state gradually became involved. The national government became more involved with funding by using grants. The involvement of several agencies confuses the matter of who is in charge of education. Higher education expanded after World War II with the GI Bill. Many veterans attended college which had influence on all areas of life. Since then we have made it more difficult to make higher education affordable to all people instead of simplifying it. Between 1900 and 2000 the population of people in college rose by 58%. A large problem is the debt that most students graduate from college with has increased because states have not increased funding to meet the increase. One of the things that is so confusing is the structure of the system. There are 85 districts in existence today that range from schools with 500 students to schools with about 60,000 students. All have school boards, but not all are the same. Some boards elect their members and some are appointed, and all have control over different things. At the state level there are still several structures. The State Superintendent of Education is elected separately from the governor, which means that his views on education may not coincide with the governor’s. The Superintendent runs the State Department of Education but the state also has a State School Board, an Educational Oversight Committee, and a Commission on Higher Education. With all of the different groups in the system, no one can really be certain of who controls what.
-Sarah Luckey
Nicely done Sarah! With a structure like this, how can voters hold anyone responsible for shortcomings in the system?
Let me give a quick story to illustrate the confusion, even among legislators who helped create this mess.
A number of years ago the legislature passed a bill that required that all public college students and private college students who had any state money helping fund their education get at a minimum a year of training in the US Constitution, the Federalis Papers, and the Declaration of Independence. Failure to do so could lead to the dismissal of the presidents of colleges. However, in this law they gave enforcement powers to the State Superintendent of Education. Well, if you know anything about the structure Sarah has just described, the State Superintendent has nothing to do with colleges and universities -- the office only has powers over k-12 schools across the state. So we had a law in which the legislaure gave enforcement powers to someone without the authority to enforce the law! The result, not surprisingly, has been very spotty compliance with the law. Compliance is in effect voluntary. Some schools require a semester of American Government, or Americna history, and others totally ignore the law. We ignored it until just a few years ago. I do not know anyone who requires a full year.
One comment on costs of college education. This year we got significant tax cuts -- always popular. But tuition is again going up because of the underfunding of higher education (relative to surrounding states). This puts South Carolina students at a real disadvantage to students in other states. If we want to catch up with other states in growing a knowledge economy, then perhaps making college affordable for average citizens should come before tax cuts. That is something that you may have some influence over as voters in the years to come. That is of course your choice.
Bob B
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