The Music Man goes to school

I feel like Prof. Harold Hill in "The Music Man" when I talk about Kentucky education. We've got trouble my friends, right here in River City. Don't tell me how far Kentucky schools have come in recent years. That's old news.

With that in mind, check out these links:

1. This blew my mind. On a percentage basis, there are more bachelor's degree holders in Mexico than in most Kentucky counties, including several that are part of NKY.

2. Kentucky is in the midst of a legislative battle over school testing, school performance and meeting the demands of the federal No Child Left Behind Law. Here's the smartest article I've read about NCLB. What do you think? Are we testing these kids to death, boring them to tears and getting limited value from what we're learning from the tests?

UPDATE: Thanks to a reader who sent me a link to this point-by-point rebuttal of the NCLB article. It also is well worth reading.

3. Kentucky ranks 40th in per-pupil educational spending among the states and local taxpayers contribute only about 30 percent of costs. Of course, part of the problem is that under the state's school-funding formula, many local districts would lose state funding if the locals decided to spend more.

Where is the outcry that not nearly enough students are successful enough for the state to survive and thrive? The outcry needs to start at home and spread to every site-based council. It needs to get loud enough so that policymakers hear it.