Actionable Solutions for Public Education in South Carolina
Session Title
Education and the College Experience
Faculty Mentor
Ginger Williams, Ph.D.
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Interdisciplinary Studies
Abstract
This paper seeks to examine and provide actionable solutions towards rectifying deficiencies found within the SC public education system. The state of public education within South Carolina is dire in nearly all measurable aspects, putting at risk the education of generations to come. An uneducated population is one who works poorly, thinks rashly, votes irresponsibly, and is a burden towards society as a whole. Most egregiously, it is a grave disservice to be denied a proper education in our modernizing world, to be dealt a hand of deftness to no fault but where you were born. To address this issue, the research question is proposed, ‘What needs to change in the South Carolina Legislature and financially in order to meet a minimally adequate education in public education?’ This question will be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective, utilizing the works of political scientists, education scholars, and historians to support the claim that in order to meet a minimally adequate education, South Carolina needs to reevaluate its taxation base for school funding and allocation, ease restrictions on teacher and district freedom within the classroom, recognize historical inadequacies and discrimination in attempts at reform both past and present, and ultimately recognize the 2014 decision of Abbeville v. State. Political scientists chosen due to their insight into the legal deficiencies of the system, education scholars, as the voices of teachers are essential in discussion pertaining to education, and historians to provide historical insight into past attempts at reform and how they affect the present.
Course Assignment
IDVS 490 – Williams
Previously Presented/Performed?
Winthrop University Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors, Rock Hill, SC, April 2023.
Type of Presentation
Oral presentation
Start Date
15-4-2023 12:00 PM
Actionable Solutions for Public Education in South Carolina
This paper seeks to examine and provide actionable solutions towards rectifying deficiencies found within the SC public education system. The state of public education within South Carolina is dire in nearly all measurable aspects, putting at risk the education of generations to come. An uneducated population is one who works poorly, thinks rashly, votes irresponsibly, and is a burden towards society as a whole. Most egregiously, it is a grave disservice to be denied a proper education in our modernizing world, to be dealt a hand of deftness to no fault but where you were born. To address this issue, the research question is proposed, ‘What needs to change in the South Carolina Legislature and financially in order to meet a minimally adequate education in public education?’ This question will be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective, utilizing the works of political scientists, education scholars, and historians to support the claim that in order to meet a minimally adequate education, South Carolina needs to reevaluate its taxation base for school funding and allocation, ease restrictions on teacher and district freedom within the classroom, recognize historical inadequacies and discrimination in attempts at reform both past and present, and ultimately recognize the 2014 decision of Abbeville v. State. Political scientists chosen due to their insight into the legal deficiencies of the system, education scholars, as the voices of teachers are essential in discussion pertaining to education, and historians to provide historical insight into past attempts at reform and how they affect the present.
