How to defeat SC's culture of failure

For the past decade or so, the education debate in South Carolina and revolved around K-12. Be it accountability, reform, funding, or tuition tax credits, the debate on education in South Carolina has been about children.

There are reasons for that. People are sentimental about children. People are instinctively geared to siding with whatever political side that convinces them that their approach is better for children. Such an approach whets the appetite of the voters, but it might not be the best way to approach the problems that plague South Carolina’s education system and its economy.

South Carolina has pockets of poverty that are in stark contrast to areas that are relatively prospering, even in these hard economic times. Those pockets of poverty are where incredible education disappointments are found. The areas correspond in an undeniable fashion. No amount of money spent, innovations, or school choice can change that until the parents themselves have a hope of finding the skills to make their own lives better. With that hope, those parents will believe in the hope for their children. Without that hope, they will not.

That is why it is time for the education debate in South Carolina to shift a bit. It is time that the leaders of South Carolina reach out to businesses and ask them what they need in skills from potential employees. Of course, on paper, that sort of thing is mouthed. But, again, the truth of the matter is that debate is not the focus of the education debate. Businesses get lip service only. Adult education is an afterthought. Millions are spent on both sides on the K-12 debate, yet finding out what businesses want in a workforce, and giving people a chance to get those skills to have hope in the American dream is the key to bringing up South Carolina.

Talking about what businesses need in their workforce and lifting up adult education is not politically sexy to the politicos, lobbyists and bureaucrats. But, such deserves a shot. After all, the debate over the past decade or so has produced the highest unemployment rate in the Southeast and some of the poorest education performances in the nation. It’s time for a new approach that embraces what businesses need and gives adults opportunity to succeed for themselves and show their children that education can make a better life. That seems to be the only way to defeat the culture of failure that envelops so much of South Carolina.