POLLY'S COMMENTS ON EDUCATION

WHAT IS THE ISSUE?

• Louisiana has the 2nd highest poverty rate in the nation and the 2nd highest rate of children living in poverty.
• Nearly 16,000 (approx 8%) high school students dropped out of school in 2002.
• Too many of our public school students score below "basic" level on academic achievement tests.
• About 40% of college freshmen from our public high schools must take remedial courses.
• More than 15% of teachers are not certified to teach.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

• Expand access to the high-quality LA 4 pre-kindergarten program for at-risk four-year-old children.
• Preserve the K-12 school accountability system and defend it from all attempts to weaken its standards and components.
• Encourage partnerships between business and industry labor needs and community and technical college programs for initial training and incumbent worker training.
• Support higher admission standards at our colleges and universities
• Focus on quality in committing resources to higher education. Match missions to funding and eliminate duplication in programs except in critical shortage areas.
• Support and promote efforts to redesign programs that prepare qualified teachers.
• Reward quality by funding adequately those universities that increase student graduation rates, develop and/or maintain excellent programs, and form public-private partnerships that create new jobs and enhance existing ones.

HOW DOES IT TIE TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANK?

• An educated workforce supports a sound economic climate and attracts economic growth.
• Poor schools discourage business interests when they examine the economic climate of Louisiana.
• It will be another factor that attracts our well-educated, productive children back to the state.

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