(From Gov. Jay Nixon)
Gov. Jay Nixon today applauded data from the U.S. Department of Education showing that Missouri’s four-year high school graduation rate increased to 87.8 percent in the 2014-2015 school year, up from 87.3 percent in the previous school year. Missouri’s graduation rate is significantly above the national average of 83.2 and ranks in the top 10 in the nation. Since the 2010-2011 school year, Missouri’s graduation rate has risen nearly seven percentage points, from 81 percent to 87.8 percent.
“Missouri’s top 10 in the nation graduation rate is another solid indication that the work we’ve done to support public education is having a positive impact on students and families across our state,” Gov. Nixon said. “Behind these numbers are thousands of students who are graduating from high school and going on to pursue college degrees and rewarding careers. I want to thank all of Missouri’s public school teachers, administrators and board members who work tirelessly each day to build a brighter future for their students.”
Gov. Nixon has made public education in Missouri a top priority of his administration, providing record funding for K-12 classrooms while raising standards and expectations. From 2009 to 2016, the Governor increased funding through the K-12 Foundation Formula by nearly $400 million. With higher funding, Gov. Nixon demanded accountability and measureable results: higher test scores, higher graduation rates and tougher classes. With record funding for elementary and secondary education during Gov. Nixon’s administration, learning standards became more rigorous and math and reading scores improved.
Missouri’s 2016 Annual Performance Report from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education showed none of the state’s 517 school districts received scores in the unaccredited range, even though the learning standards have become more rigorous and comprehensive.
The Governor also worked to expand the number of schools implementing Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) which provides proven interventions to help young people who have potential but, for a variety for reasons, are at-risk to not graduate from high school. JAG helps these students stay in school, graduate, and then succeed in postsecondary education and the workforce. By leveraging public and private funding sources, Gov. Nixon has worked successfully to triple the number of schools offering JAG to 19 in the current school year.
A fierce defender of the principle that public funds belong in public schools, Gov. Nixon successfully blocked private school voucher schemes that would have drained funding from local public school districts. The Governor also demonstrated his commitment to public education by assembling a coalition of teachers, administrators, board members and parents to successfully sustain his vetoes of unaffordable tax breaks, including House Bill 253 and the “Friday Favors,” that would have hurt public education without helping everyday Missouri families.
12 comments:
Not too shabby for the next United States Senator from Missouri.
From the Democratic Party?
Where is McCaskill going?
Didn't notice Trump including her in his cabinet?
Her sister crooked Hillary is out to pasture
Indeed, as Harvey notes, McCaskill, who's obviously setting up for her reelection, would have to become disabled or beaten in a primary, and I kinda doubt Nixon could do the latter after he screwed up with Ferguson, in fact, was anyone happy with what he did and didn't do? He'll have to wait 6 years to go after Blunt, and as a member of the GOPe(stablishment) Blunt will likely be facing bigger threats from within his party, and a lot of us won't be surprised if the GOP splits, the GOPe sure seems to be headed towards Massive Resistance of what Trump wants, has already shown that towards what the base wants, giving us Trump in the first place.
Getting back to the point of this article, if this was achieved like in Joplin, by letting pretty much anyone graduate and not curbing the disruptions from troublemakers that hindered the education of other students, there's nothing to celebrate about this.
I mean, it's long been the case that a US high school diploma by itself doesn't mean much, one of the reasons "everyone has to go to college" now, a college degree becoming the replacement since they still maintain some standards.
In 2018 we're going to make this state fully red with a Republican US Senator, as Trump makes America Great Again
McCaskill has Laird enough; time to go hang with her crooked sister Hillary
Be careful what you wish for, Harvey. With only Republicans in power, there is no one else to blame when things go sour. I know you've been watching and participating in politics for a long time. The pendulum swings back.
Which "Great" are you talking about Harvey? Is the "Great" Prohibition when Republicans would not let the people of America take a drink? Was it the "Great" Depression which was brought on by the greedy speculators and loose banking laws? Was it the "Great" Cold War where we got to keep some pretty brutal regimes in power for the sake of American business? Was it the "Great" Vietnam War which Nixon took a full four years to end? Was it the "Great" Watergate scandal which finally put an end to Nixon? Was it the "Great" Trickle Down Voodoo Economics of Reagan, which left us all broke? Was it the "Great" Iran Contra scandal when Ronnie thought nothing of breaking our laws? Was it the "Great" Operation Condor fiasco in which the Elder Bush was responsible for thousands of dead and disappeared people in Central and South America? Was it the "Great" Savings and Loan collapse in which the Elder Bush took the economy down to try to save his son? Was it the "Great" Iraq War in which Junior Bush set out to destroy all the non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction? Or was it the "Great" recession that Junior Bush treated us all to? Tell me Harvey, which period of Republican Greatness to you wish to take us back to?
Teddy Roosevelt & Dwight Eisenhower
Yep Harvey, sweat shops and share croppers and a minimum wage of $1.25 per hour. I can see what your idea of "Great" is now. Actually Harvey, I hope you get it, in full measure.
Yes, the right to earn a living for your family, and the right to pray to the Almighty on vended knee on a daily basis.
I did forget one other great President and his era--it should please you to know he's a Democrat;
Missouri 's own Harry Truman--that's Greatness !!!
BTW, $1.25/hour adjusted for inflation was a good living
I worked my way through College as a roughneck in the oil fields for only twice that much in the'60's and '70's. Happiness is not entirely a function of money
Well Harvey, I am glad that you thought the sixties and seventies were "Great" because they kind of sucked for me.
7:32 PM, reread Harvey's posts, he said the periods of Teddy Roosevelt, late 1901 through 1907, Harry Truman, 1945-52, and Dwight Eisenhower, 1953-60, were economically "Great", and as I recall they were indeed pretty good economically, and implied that the '60s and '70s period when he worked in the oilfields weren't so great, for he said in reference to them that "Happiness is not entirely a function of money".
Although due to JFK's supply side tax rate cuts the '60s were pretty good for a while until LBJ's "guns and butter" policy all but killed the golden goose, heck, the government almost ran out of money in 1967 or thereabouts, which made Nixon's closing of the gold window a few years latter all but inevitable.
Somehow, I missed the part about America being "Great" before. I remember the old timers talking about the Union struggles (Harlan County Wars) during the twenties and thirties, Prohibition, the Depression of the thirties, the wars through the forties, fifties, sixties and seventies, the Civil Rights struggle, the Draft resistance, rampant inflation, the Savings and Loan collapse, the junk bond and dot com collapse, Watergate and Iran-Contra, four decades of waiting for the Big One to drop in the Cold War, the failure of "trickle down", the Iraq War, the collapse of the housing market, the Recession, environmental neglect and rampant health care costs. It seems that what was "Great" for folks like Harvey was pretty shabby for the rest of us. The "Ugly American" was a pretty good description of what we really were (and are).
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