Image by Francisco de Goya's "The Inquisition Tribunal"Image by 20090608-dunce.jpg Brack argues that S.C. needs to think big, particularly on education, to turn things around.
Citing years of not making any progress on poverty or education, Andy Brack has penned a piece saying that not only do our state's leaders need to start thinking big, but that the tactic has been shown to work.
Here's a taste:
Consider all of the political battles, politicians and headlines over the last 30 years. Then think about what's really changed. The state still is in the doghouse on education; more people live in poverty than should and it's not really prepared as a whole to participate in the global economy.
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Like South Carolina, Queensland's taxes were low. Educational attainment was low. Tourism and the service industry were big business.
So what did Queensland do to get off the dime and move toward the top of the pack? It invested big in education, Beattie said. Queenslanders developed a "smart state" initiative that challenged the status quo by investing in early childhood education, developing skills and apprenticeship programs, and creating partnerships to prepare students for the global economy.